Heirs and spares
by MsSage
Summary: Following a benched Nara as she navigates the political minefields of the leaf, mentoring a Yamanaka, infuriating Danzo, matchmaking an Inuzuka, avoiding her past and flirting with the most stuck up Hyuuga that ever lived. Always Shika's spare, could she really dare to claim a place as Nara heir? Always fear the motivated Nara. Minor spelling/grammar errors. [oc x Neji, oc x Hidan]
1. A first mission

**AYAKA**

Ayaka Nara was quite sure she was dying. Her laboured breaths had only grown more intense with her sprinting and her initially pretty pink Kimono was stained a fresh red from a wound she dared not stop to tend to. Which was annoying, kimono's were not cheap. After running almost solidly without sleep for two days, knew she ought to stop soon or perish. She cursed herself for taking on this solo A-rank mission, although she could never quite sate the urge she had to accept a challenge. The shinobi lifestyle was a dangerous thing to find oneself romanticizing yet she couldn't help but succumb to the gory allure.

Logically, the future branch family head knew that her death would have no significant impact to the Leaf. It was a fact that irked her to no end. After all despite her Jonin status and a supposed elevation to her political standing, ANBU frequently went missing. She would be just another statistic should she fall now. In the shadows of ANBU, there was not yet a legacy to her name. If she died, there would never be and that was unacceptable.

Given her current mission, she was questioning Tsunade Sama's lack of foresight. Not that her Hokage wasn't a brilliant leader. Ayaka had been loyal to Sarutobi too but Tsunade was someone she personally admired and while her loyalty was incorruptible it didn't mean she always agreed with her superiors. She would put her life in the line to fufil their orders but she would argue if she felt herself sound. Only sheep followed wolves like kage blindly and Ayaka was far from it.

Ayaka was an eye catching girl and more importantly she knew how to utilize her assets to the best of her range of abilities. Unfortunately, this mission to seduce the warden of one of Orochimaru's hideouts, and locate said hideout had seemed to be a logical mission to assign the current protégé of the ANBU head of seduction. It wasn't like she would dare reject any mission to track down the snake Sannin. To catch him would be an honor.

What Ayaka and the hokage hadn't foreseen was the fact that the warden was a mere teenage girl, without any interest in the fairer sex and even more worrying, a powerful sensor who easily could see through her henge. She hadn'y in her life met a proficient sensor than that warden.

Ayaka had found herself under attack a mere day into her pretense to be a high end escort at tea house said warden was rumored to frequent when she'd been attacked. Luckily for her, she was not a pretty face, not that she could be just that. Both as an ANBU and noting all of her promotions had been in the field, she was a dangerous opponent in any circumstance. Still seven against one hadn't been the best odds and whilst she knew she'd confirmed at least three kills, unless said attackers could survive decapitation – one never really knew with Orochimaru's underlings, it meant that she potentially had a maximum of four pursuers on her trail. A pity she was trying to be stealthy while fleeing. If she truly let loose, they'd all be dead. Ayaka did not want her identity as a Konoha nin ending up in a bingo book just yet.

It had been dumb luck on her pursuers part that she'd let her guard down enough to be injured. Honestly, how she'd forgotten she held a activated custom explosive tag whilst trying to break the genjustu placed upon her was beyond her. After all the person who thought her how to make them always stressed that concentration was key to their correct use and she usually was proficient at fighting average Genjutsu users. The rookie mistake had cost her, and she was bleeding heavily from the wound on her side and left with only one usable arm. She didn't dare contemplate what she'd done to the chakra coils in her arm with carelessness.

Her best hope of survival was to make it to the land of tea undetected where she could let loose or find help. She distinctly remembered that the newbie Leaf Jonin that skipped straight to his rank from genin during the chunin exams at the sand, would be stationed there for at least a week guarding the daimyo some festival. Requesting aid from the Hyuuga branch family prodigy, whom often preached about fate, would be an annoyance she'd have to endure.

Tossing a pair of kunai behind her at the faintest hint of chakra she was not surprised to see a body fall lifeless from a tree. Noting her kunai had both pierced the neck and forehead respectively, she kept her harsh pace. Her opponents were clearly not trained ninja, attacking her one by one was simply not good planning. Surely by now they could tell she was no mere chunin, which meant they were likely using the pursuit of her as some kind of sport or competition. It was a pity really, if she truly were to die here due to blood loss against such feeble foe. Avoiding stopping completely, she used a fire jutsu on her abdomen wound cringing at the pain. True, it would stop the bleeding and reduce any potential for infection but she hoped it wouldn't scar. Seduction in the ANBU would be problematic if she came home littered with battle scars and she shuddered to think where they'd transfer her in such an event. Maybe she ought to pick up some basic medical jutsu when she got back to the Leaf. Yoshino would be thrilled.

Suddenly she paused, sensing the barest of chakra in front of her. Ayaka was not a sensory ninja, at least not one of merit. However, her two years of jonin experience had forced her to hone her listening skills in that department. It was simply bad practice for ANBU of her caliber to be snuck up on. Unsheathing her trusted katana, she waited while sending chakra to her ears. Maybe she couldn't quite sense them yet, but she'd be damned if she was going to run in blindly towards her death. Nara's did not make foolish moves.

Palming a kunai in her less dominant and injured hand, she tossed it with great effort towards the side, certain the sound of rustling she'd heard was against the wind. True to her suspicions, she heard cussing as two more almost muted chackra signatures appeared before her. She smirked at thier audacity.

So they'd finally decided to work as a team? Ayaka smirked, while this would've been a great plan at the start when they'd had a seven to one ratio but against a jonin level ANBU, three chunin level targets against her would normally not be a problem. They really ought to have kept trying to run her to the point of exhaustion. Katana in hand and her chakra flaring with killing intent she charged at her towards her opponents. Since she didn't need to be stealthy any longer, she'd fight all out.

 **NEJI**

They all felt the flare of malicious chakra south of the Daimyo's mansion. He barely noted Ino's eyes widen in recognition and Akumaru's worried whine. Kiba stilled to his left tension radiating off him as they all glanced at the oblivious Daimyo enjoying a hot stone massage. Activating his Byakugan, Neji scanned the area spotting a fight, three to one approximately 500 m from the mansion, close to the land of tea's border. He noted the brunette woman wore the leaf emblem on her arm. His eyes narrow dangerously at the sight.

"You two know this Chakra?" He asked coolly already noting his current team looked ready to bolt. Ino and Kiba were both hot headed in thier own ways though, so he was thankful they'd shown the barest evidence of restraint.

"Its Ayaka senpai's," Ino murmured her hands drifting towards her weapons pouch instinctively, "she's Shikamaru's older cousin. You'd know her as the future Nara branch family head." He nodded, eyes fixed on the fight, and glanced towards Kiba.

Not many families granted thier branch members representatives but as far as he knew, the Nara, Yamanaka and Akamichi did. As a Hyuuga the entire idea of a branch member having any political sway was unthinkable. That power was reserved for the council, clan heads, heirs and in the rarest of circumstances talented spares like Hanabi.

"She's Hana's friend," Kiba added tensely, "Not that it should matter, but we can't let a Leaf Jonin die."

Inwardly, Neji groaned at his words. Whilst the injured kunoichi looked familiar, he hadn't been planning to intervene due to their current mission. Yet, he could already tell his subordinates wouldn't let it happen.

But he couldn't allow both the Yamanaka heir and the Inuzuka spare to run off on their own given it was his first Jonin mission. Luckily it was unlikely the Daimyo would be attacked. Honestly, the mission was a farce to begin with, his dysfunctional team thrown together on the spot by a preoccupied Tsunade who simply wanted to get rid of some easy B-Ranks provided by a small Daimyo they often humoured by upping the mission rank due to his title.

"Can you and Akamaru handle being alone with the Daimyo? She's probably going to win this fight, but it looks like she's injured." At Akamaru's whine, Neji began sprinting, noting Ino following immediately. He didn't dare deactivate his Byakugan, watching the battle intensify.

"How bad is it?" Ino asked with concern as she matched his pace. Neji was surprised the Yamanaka heir could keep his harsh pace but realistically he knew that on team 10, the hard working one was Ino. He could not even begin to imagine Chougi, or kami forbid, Shikamaru, doing any form of endurance training.

It was ironic. Every team of the Konoha 12 had a team member that had relentlessly striven to be the 'best' with, dare he admit it, cool confidence and self assurance above which they were entitled to. Himself was obvious for Team Gai, as was the mess that had been Sasuke Uchiha for Team Kakashi. Anyone that actually dared to look closely at Team Kurenai would realize that Shino Aburame followed the same pattern. As for Team Asuma, they'd gotten the surprise of the bossy heiress, Ino Yamanaka occupying the role that Shikamaru couldn't be bothered to fill. Ino had been runner up for Rookie of the year when she'd graduated. While Sakura had the best theory scores and Sasuke the best practical, the Yamanaka heiress had been on paper the most rounded candidate, especially if you factored in mental, social and emotional stability. Pity the grading system that allocated rookie of the year didn't account for that.

"I can see a lot of blood on her. She's won though. Just heal her when we get there," Neji replied. Mentally he tried to place the girl they were tracking. She was tall, easily his height with dark brown hair barely hitting her shoulders and eyes glinting red. He supposed she was beautiful, her features were certainly interesting enough. He hadn't seen her use her clan jutsu, which was tactically smart given the nature of the fight.

She obviously knew her way around a sword, he'd just seen her decapitate all three opponents with carefully graceful moves, but her unusual attire of a full kimono stood out to him. Had there not been such a girl in his academy days? He did remember besting some clan kid whom had the audacity to wear a full kimono to a spar but she hadn't been in his class long. She'd been reassigned a class immediately. Mentally, he noted that the fight hadn't exactly been one sided but he pushed the thought aside. Ayaka Nara had most likely been a class mate he'd not taken note off, due to their difference in skill. Even watching the fight now, the woman clearly favoured kenjustu in close range combat.

Not that there was much difference in the two. Both fighting styles were equally deadly on a battlefield. Kiba had mentioned her jonin status. He was aware that there had been others from his academy days already bestowed with his rank. But Ayaka Nara? Surely he'd have noticed the name on the jonin mission lists. Which only left one option, Ayaka was ANBU. He wondered what her alias was.

"You call an ANBU agent Senpai?" he asked Ino, mildly surprised. The implications were obvious and Ino didn't deign him with a response, her silence confirming his suspicions. So it would seem that Ino was being sought after by ANBU or at least being considered. Definitely, not what he'd expected to discover on this mission.

Arriving at the already ended battle and watching the fatigued kunoichi who fell at the sight of comrades, or rather his blonde companion, he allowed Ino to fuss over her. Medical ninjutsu was not his forte so he allowed himself to survey the damage. Three bodies, all slightly singed and headless surrounded him. Kunai littered the forest floor and he noted signs of water jutsu use as well.

He really did not want to know which poor soul would be given the task of matching each severed head to its respective body. A katana lay nearby, the Nara girl had obviously dropped it post battle in her fatigue. He picked up the blade noting it was a standard katana, that the Jonin had accessorized slightly. Overall, there wasn't much damage to the blade. The fight had obviously been controlled and the outcome inevitable. He wondered if she was a head hunter given her flair for decapitation, but then dismissed the thought. Surely they would not wish to recruit Ino Yamanaka as a head hunter. Head hunters in the leaf were actually specialized trainee's for ANBU that would eventually take on high ranking missions. Leaf head hunters usually apprenticed an ANBU captain once they found a niche. Essentially, it was the ANBU equivalent to the difference between ending up in the Genin corps or apprenticing a Jonin. Worthy chuunin were usually pulled into the program shortly after gaining their rank. Maybe Ino had tried out and failed?

Once first aid was done he picked up the Nara girl delicately, ordering Ino to seal the bodies and follow him as they made their way back to the Daimyo's mansion, pace harsher and silence heavy. Ino seemed concerned about the wound on the girl's side and her blood loss. He told himself he didn't care, but in all honestly, after spying on that fight with his byakugan, it would be a pity if such a skilled kunoichi died on his first mission.

Plus, she was really a pretty thing now that he'd seen her up close. It felt like he was a knight rescuing the princess in one of Hinata's childhood picture books.

Only this princess was covered in battle wounds and gore and had technically saved herself.


	2. Breaking rules

**TSUNADE**

Tsunade was having a terrible morning. Barely an hour into the day she'd received word from the Land of Tea's Daimyo that half of Neji Hyuuga's team had abandoned their position to rescue an injured Leaf kunoichi engaged in battle and were currently on route to Konoha. Said Daimyo was hardly impressed, requesting the Hokage to immediately send young 'Kiba-sama's and Akamauru-chan's 'true team. Anticipating political turmoil of note should she not comply she'd grudging checked the availability of the remainder of team Kurenai. A startled Shizune was immediately sent to retrieve Kurenai and her designated minions whilst Tsunade scrambled through piles of mission documents to figure out which of her ninja would be coming in to the hospital shortly.

A fairly irritated Jonin, the shy Hyuuga heiress and the stoic Aburame heir set off immediately after hearing that enemy ninja were likely to be in the forest near their teammate, much to Tsunade's relief. Kurenai would not be so easily convinced to leave if she knew the only Leaf kunoichi, apart from the Yamanaka heir, in the area was her own niece, Ayaka Nara.

"Hokage-sama! You're needed at the hospital. Neji Hyuuga –"

Tsunade rushed past the messenger leaving behind an exasperated Shizune to man the front. Truthfully she was worried. It had been a while since Ayaka was requested to do any mission dealing with direct combat, she was the best potential to be the future head of seduction after all. It wasn't that the girl lacked battle skills per se, infact she exelled in close ranged combat, but Tsunade didn't think she had a stitch of first aid knowledge. As multifaceted as Ayaka Nara was, her sense of self preservation was somewhat dismal even at the best of times. We're it not for rules requiring Seduction agents to avoid excessive scaring, she didn't doubt the girl may have one day returned beyond repair. Even prior to seduction that the woman had dealt primarily with infiltration, a field which lacked direct combat. Honestly, the girl hadn't been on any solo combat missions as a Jonin. Although she did acknowledge that Ayaka had made a fair kill count in her chuunin days and amongst her Jonin, was considered at least on par with most of Konoha's elite on a good day.

Tsunade was getting way too old for this damned job. If it weren't for her fear that Danzo may succeed her, Tsunade may have already retired. Goodness knows there wasn't enough sake in the world to bribe her out of this position if he would be the next hokage.

* * *

 **NEJI**

Departing the Land of Tea would have been nothing short of a political disaster had the Daimyo not developed a certain fondness for Akamaru and Kiba's company. Ino was dramatically insisting that Ayaka received treatment from the Leaf only, typical for ANBU agents who's very bodies could hold secrets. This meant that Ino would have to transport her injured senpai there which was where the trouble began. Neji couldn't not allow Ino to go alone, much to her displeasure. She was neither Jonin nor an experienced enough chuunin to undertake such a journey under the potential threat of attack. Nor could he allow Kiba and Akamaru to go, neither having any medical knowledge. A combat type would have to accompany Ino, yet Neji could not abandon this mission entirely due to the potential political fallout. Instructing Kiba to have the Daimyo send word for reinforcements, Neji made the decision to head out with Ino. He was the best at combat after all and he knew Ino could at least match his pace. Kiba would just have to suffice until reinforcements got there.

Arrival to the Leaf was even more of a disaster. Firstly, Izumo reacted with uncharacteristic horror at the sight of Ayaka, stalling them enough to make Ino bristle with anger at the delay. Ino was unervingly hostile and Neji hoped he wasn't missing something. Izumo, ignoring Ino's distaste, had ranted of the correct procedure to comply with in such an event whilst Ino screeched back that she was capable enough a medic to transport Ayaka to the hospital, procedure be damned. Whilst it seemed like the blonde might collapse soon if not decapitate the guard, Neji was concerned by the urgency at which Ino still insisted they get to the Leaf, insisting on not stopping for breaks and gazing worriedly at the injured kunoichi's arm. Suspecting some deeper complication that Ino couldn't reveal to him, due to her senpai's ANBU status, he'd pushed on. Being delayed at all was clearly against the Blonde's opinion as a medic, so Neji found himself making a judgement call he knew he may soon regret.

Neji then grabbed the injured Kunoichi who'd been slumped against the wall, leaving Ino and Izumo to bicker at the gate, fully intent to get to the hospital as fast as possible. Byakugan activated, he noted Izumo take off towards the Hokage, probably to explain the situation. He barely noticed a hurried Team Kurenai pass by the gates at a fast pace, not even noting the unusual sight of a disgruntled Ino being left on guard duty since Izumo was not at his post.

* * *

 **HIASHI**

Racing through the streets of Konoha, Neji did not take note of the startled stares that fell upon him. One narrowed eyed Hiashi Hyuuga visibly grimaced at the sight for a second before beginning his pursuit of his nephew. An unconscious and injured female, admittedly a fairly attractive one was cradled in the arms of the Hyuuga clan prodigy as he raced off for help. Judging by that customized standard katana, the girl in question could only be the infamous ward of Shikaku Nara. A woman admired so well as an ANBU agent there were talks she may make a better heiress then the current clan heir.

It was idle gossip. Shikamaru, from his observations was nothing like Hinata had been. Unlike him who'd resorted to naming Hanabi his heir, Shikaku had no reason to utilize his spare. Still, it didn't dissuade from how highly ranked the girl was within her clan.

Did his nephew not understand the implications of running through the streets carrying a high ranking Nara bridal style had? The Nara's were still a notable clan of Konoha, while they held fewer reservations on public image than the Hyuuga, even Hiashi was aware that the girl in Neji's arms possibly outranked Neji both in political status as well as experience. Was she not a favoured candidate for the Nara heir's bride? If she wasn't Shikaku was going senile. The Hyuuga elders would be in an uproar for a week at best, and at worst calling Shikaku Nara in for marriage negotiations. The Nara elders would also inevitably view the event just as scandalous, despite the kunoichi's expertise.

Truthfully, Neji would ideally marry either Hanabi or Hinata if clan customs were to be kept but Hiashi had urged the elders to reconsider. Neither his daughters nor his nephew would take well to such a proposal and Hiashi would hope to prevent a complete mutiny amongst the Hyuuga youth in his time as clan head.

Praise Kami his brother wasn't alive to deal with this. The elders had been pushing for an arranged marriage the moment Neji reached Jonin. He was fairly certain the Nara girl was already a candidate run through consideration, although a fairly low ranking one due to her being theoretically an ideal choice for the young Shikamaru. He remembered stories of her quick promotions in field, which had graced even the ears of clan heads. It wasn't often a Nara would show any significant talent in close range combat, so when one mastered kenjutsu it was no surprise that was also much gossiped about. Tsume's eldest had also been on that genin team another reason he was blatantly cringing. He'd not paid that team much attention in some time.

Ayaka Nara wasn't ideal. At least not for a Hyuuga of Neji's status to be associated with at this point. Hiashi had heard rumours of the girl's potential promotion, and the position she'd be groomed for. Although Hiashi acknowledge the necessity of kunoichi of her rumoured expertise, he hoped the elders weren't privy to this information. The idea that the clan prodigy could be potentially seduced by a Nara would have the Hyuuga elders marrying Neji off recklessly. Hiashi would have to thread carefully, why Neji was even with a kunoichi of her specialty was questionable in its self. Tsunade would have to be going senile if his nephew's first Jonin mission was of that nature.

* * *

 **YOSHINO**

Across the hospital, Yoshino Nara gawked at Neji Hyuuga as he ushered the unconscious Jonin into the hospital. Although the girl's familiar chakra was stable, Yoshino could smell the stale iron stench that came with dried blood. There was only one active Leaf Jonin that wore Kimono's on a daily that Yoshino was aware off and she was fairly certain that the bundle of dirtied pink silk in Neji Hyuuga's arms could only be Ayaka Nara. As the clan head wife, should she not have been informed one of the clan's Jonin had been injured? Sure, Shikaku was head but his lazy ass tended to leave logistics to her. Further, Yoshino had always had a good relationship with the girl, having mentored her fire style ninjutsu since her parent's demise during the Kyuubi attack.

Ayaka Nara was the current most eligible ninja to head the branch family once Shikamaru's aging great uncle, bless his soul, could be convinced to surrender the post. It was perhaps the sole reason nobody had raised the issue of marriage arrangement yet, as should Ayaka marry someone of higher status, the Nara branch family would have to pass the succession onto a less noteworthy Jonin.

Further, Ayaka was surprisingly energetic for a Nara, her use of the clan jutsu proficient but rarely utilized and most significantly, Shikamaru loathed her in the way that only a sibling could. Yoshino would not be forcing the two into any arrangement as things stood with each other. Not when the tactically ideal situation would be Ayaka as branch head and Shikamaru as main head.

Curiosity glimmered at the back of her mind as she entered the hospital, giving the young Hyuuga a look up and down as he rushed further into the hospital, likely in search of Sakura Haruno the hokage's student, the Lady Yoshino had plans whirring in her head. The Hyuuga were notoriously a by the book clan. Technically, Neji with no relation to Ayaka, had no business carrying her around Konoha since she appeared to be stabilised by a medic already. Yoshino doubted the Hyuuga had followed protocol of requesting a medic ninja at the gate to accompany Ayaka, for a non-critical case, and then reporting to the hokage.

In fact his haste to get Ayaka to a hospital might be severely frowned upon by the Hyuuga elders. Nearing the reception desk to inquire where the Hyuuga boy had run off to, Yoshino found herself surprised by the presence of a tired looking Hiashi Hyuuga, with similar thoughts.


	3. The matriarch

**[A/N Chapter 3 up! Thanks to everyone that reviewed. Right now I'm hopefully setting things up for the bigger picture. ]**

 **AYAKA**

Ayaka blinked in confused fatigue. Her last memory was collapsing in a forest near the border of the land of tea, seeing Ino Yamanaka and her pretty dark haired companion reaching her. Logically, she should still be in the land of tea. Ninja weren't prone to abandon their missions, even when faced with a fallen comrade as was proper by the book conduct. She was also ANBU. Faceless and disposable for her Kage's convenience. Not that she minded, Tsunade was more her hokage than Hiruzen had ever been. She'd never quite figured out why the old man had graduated her genin team so early, despite their talent. All she knew was after that disaster of a mission, the three of them had found themselves dragged into the hokage tower frequently and seperately for endless meetings which eventually had ended in their chuunin rank.

Yet here she was, laying in what could only be the leaf hospital in an uncomfortable hospital gown she absolutely loathed. She wondered vaguely how Ino had pulled of bringing her here. Surely Ino was under the direction of that stuck up Hyuuga.

Why the hell hokage had even sent Ino out? Ayaka had been grooming Ino to be a hunter ninja for a while now under the hokage's order. Ino was surprisingly good at basic one handed seals for water clones, and a natural flair for using ninja wire. Hunter ninja tended to favour kenjutsu, but Ino seemed to fair surprisingly well with her wires. Being a hunter nin would be a good place for Ino to start until she found her niche. If Ayaka had to put her money on it, the girl was destined for the torture department. It wasn't like Ayaka was a stranger to ninja wire, she often threaded it through the bindings on her arms as a defense, but Ino was a tad more creative then her it seemed.

She felt the heavy bindings, these certainly lacking Ninja wire, on her left arm and side cringingly as she rose to a seated position. She felt surprisingly numb, no doubt Tsunade or that pink haired apprentice of hers had really pumped the painkillers through her system already. The majority of the wounds were obviously healed crudely, likely on transit to the leaf. However nothing could stop the sinking feeling Ayaka had at the thought. Kami, this was definitely going to scar like a bitch. Maybe not badly, she was sure Tsunade could heal some of it. However, definitely enough that they'd be easy to liken to a shinobi lifestyle.

She bit her lip nervously. Visible scarring was taboo amongst the seduction department of the ANBU. She could already sense Tsunade's disapproval at the crude healing. Her arm felt strange too. It would be almost inevitable she'd be reassigned. However, within ANBU it was required you be in peak physical condition and transfers between the different divisions were rare once you'd specialised. Infiltration was out of the question for her, although she had started in that field, if only unofficially. She lacked the kill count required for an assassination specialist, although really had to question how someone might even accumulate such a count at her age.

To her knowledge only the former legebdary ANBU assassination said of Dog, Cat, Tiger and Weasel had. It was pretty safe to say, that was not a team anyone should try to emulate. Cat was still in ANBU but he'd always been rumored odd. Dog had been forcibly retired by Sarutobi. Tiger was rumored to have had a mental breakdown after her lovers death and was on indefinite leave while weasel was a case ANBU hated to acknowledge.

Tracking was out of the question, despite her time as a hunter ninja she'd fared better with kills then the actual tracking part. Truly her sensing powers were lacking at best.

However, even with her meagre sensor abilities she could sense an assortment of chakra signatures outside her room.

Tsunade's stood out, as well as lady Yoshino's but she couldn't make sense of the other chakra signatures. Ayaka groaned as she tried to hop of the bed in vain, numbness not helping her as she flopped onto the covers with the grace of a bull. The noise seemed to have alerted her visitors as she heard the outside grow quiet.

Her room door burst open and all Ayaka could do was prop herself up on her uninjured arm and gaze at the odd assortment of ninja entering her room.

Her hokage was the first to enter, storming in looking rather annoyed by her entourage. Following afterwards, came Yoshino Nara just as Ayaka had anticipated. The lady Nara was one to fuss over just about anything. Surprisingly, a stoic Hiashi Hyuuga walked in with the grace of a true noble accompanied by Ino's pretty dark haired ninja friend, Ayaka had only just recognised as Neji Hyuuga.

"NARA!"

Ayaka cringed at the raised voice of the hokage, surely this would not end well for her.

* * *

 **NEJI**

As the Nara jonin and the hokage exchanged heated words, Neji pondered upon his presence in the hospital. He'd been fully intent on leaving once depositing the injured Nara girl in Sakura's capable hands when he'd noticed the glare's of both the Nara matriarch and his own uncle upon him. Upon his uncles inquiry, he'd stated an overview of what had happened, glossing his lack of conformance to protocol upon his arrival to the village.

He might have managed to mislead the Hyuuga head with his tale but it hadn't worked on Yoshino Nara, a former medic herself whom openly chastised him sprinting through the village with her niece.

He had offered an apology, explaining that Ino's concerns had lead him to believe that Ayaka's wounds had greater implications. Yoshino's face had softened at his words, whilst Hiashi offered his apologies on the clan's behalf, insisting that he and Neji would stay with Yoshino at least until the girl awoken.

Neji couldn't help but notice the strange looks that Hiashi and Yoshino occasionally shot each other. It seemed like some non-verbal spar was happening and he couldn't fathom why. In retrospect, he felt like there'd been some silent negotiation going on. More worrisome even was that he hadn't been convinced his uncle was winning.

"Hokage sama, with all due respect are you dismissing me? I'm fully capable of fighting without full use of my left arm! I'm proficient in one handed jutsu. It doesn't make sense of me to retire because I'm a little scarred up!"

The Nara girl's voice was shrill as she glared at the hokage, her red eyes angry and face indignant. Clearly in the midst of his self-reflection he'd missed something. Ironically, both Yoshino and Hiashi were looking slightly relieved at whatever was going on as Neji struggled to decipher what he'd missed.

"You aren't dismissed Nara. However, an injury like yours cannot be healed completely this long after the fact. Medical ninjutsu cannot perform miracles when it comes to aesthetics. You can no longer remain in the seduction department." The hokage sighed at the girl who was looking at her in disbelief and suddenly everything made sense as the hokage continued, "You'll operate as a regular ninja once you're healed."

This was all fine until Neji realised he had been, in the eyes of the Hyuuga clan, been gallivanting around Konoha with a high ranking kunoichi in the seduction department. It was a wonder the elders weren't rioting outside the Nara compound already. Worse, he'd broken the rules to desperately bring her to the hospital. The implications of Yoshino Nara witnessing this and Hiashi Hyuuga being present would have colossal repercussions. Neji was only just beginning to understand exactly the enormity of the uproar he'd most likely caused. Kunoichi of Jonin rank and clan status in seduction were a political paradox. On the one hand, they were well sought out by high ranking clans for marriage proposals. On the other, noble clans had a tendency to avoid them whilst they were still active in the field. However once they retired or transferred departments, they were fair game and often favoured by hardened ninja who did not seek to woo a whimsical civilian girl.

As he recited his take on the events that had occurred to the hokage, he felt the cool gaze of Yoshino Nara upon him. It didn't help that Hiashi wore a pained look, glancing at the Nara girl who was not so subtly staring at him, seeming vaguely intrigued at his tale. He noted her clear red eyes, the way her dark hair fell messily around her face and the fact that she had clear, slightly tanned skin. A slight feeling of attraction hit him which he immediately pushed away.

Exactly what had he done?

* * *

 **YOSHINO**

Yoshino followed the Hokage out of Ayaka's room frowning severely as she bid the Hyuugas farewell. Making their way to back to the hokage tower, the two women made no conversation each heavily dwelling on their thoughts. Upon a swift greeting to Shizune, as soon as the door closed behind them it was the Hokage that spoke first.

"I assume, Yoshino, since you've followed me you have come to the same sort of conclusion I have." The hokage's gaze was stern, and the gravity of her implications rested heavy on Yoshino's soul.

"You think she was targeted don't you? It isn't normal for anyone to send that many after a ninja that had barely made contact, assuming those ninja had even been Orochimaru's."

"Ayaka mentions they pursued her for three days. It's possible she was targeted. The seduction department of the ANBU doesn't often receive requests to seek out Orochimaru. I don't remember authorising this in hindsight although I do not personally allocate all ANBU missions."

"Danzo Shimura?" Yoshino asked aloud. The man had tried and failed to claim Ayaka as a child. It had been all too surreal for Yoshino and Shikaku to defy him back then, especially with their young son present. Tsunade remained silent for a second before looking Yoshino gravely.

"Root is a possibility. Orochimaru is another. For now, I relieve Ayaka of her ANBU duties. She is still a leaf Jonin however and will serve the village as a normal Jonin from now on."

"As you wish hokage sama. I will inform the elders of this. Ayaka's affiliation has posed problems politically in the past. The elders will want her engaged soon." The hokage looked at her. Hearing everything Yoshino was saying and everything she was not.

"The Hyuuga clan would be best to consult about such politics. Even Root has no say in their affairs. Utilize the situation as you see fit, Yoshino." The hokage spoke severely. Though no order was given, Yoshino understood the message clearly. Keep Ayaka Nara away from the shadows, by any means necessary. The Nara clan was powerful, and held a certain prestige that even the Hyuuga wouldn't dare ignore. Neji had practically invited the attention of her, the Nara matraich with his antics.

Perhaps she'd need to visit Hiashi a little sooner than she'd thought. Shikaku, of course, would not like this. Assuming he paid enough attention to notice.

"Of course, Hokage sama."

* * *

 **KIBA**

He was nervous. Logically, he knew Hana's former genin team mate would pull through in the end but not travelling back with Ino and Neji made him angsty. Akamaru was no better, whining in concern at his side even when the remainder of team Kurenai had arrived. Although he felt more at ease with them present, he couldn't help feel like he wanted to sprint back to Konoha. Much like his own Team, Hana's genin Team were a part of the pack.

Ayaka was a fearless kunoichi, alongside his sister she'd graduated to chunin early after graduation in field. In fact the entire team had. Kiba remembered sitting in awe listening to his sister's tale of her team mates. How Shiho had endured torture at the hands of Kiri ninja and hadn't revealed a word. How Ayaka had seduced and beheaded Shiho's guards. How Hana herself had repeatedly stabbed and healed a ninja to torture the location of her teammates before leaving behind a broken man, ravaged by the triplets. How the trio had destroyed an entire Kiri ship upon learning of their sensei's death.

Kiba told himself it was out of awe for her skills that he found himself amazed by the Nara girl. Surely, it could not be anything else.


	4. An unfortunate engagement

**AYAKA**

Ayaka flopped herself on Ino's bed messily, whilst the young Yamanaka looked at her careless movements despairingly.

"Senpai, you know the skin can still tear easily. Please be gentle." Ayaka rolled her eye at Ino. For someone that was her junior in every way, Ino sure was bossy.

"Relax Ino, it doesn't matter if I scar more. I'm officially of the roster for seduction." She was grumpy. Ayaka wasn't really a mission obsessed jonin, like Kakashi or Gai, per se but it felt strange to not belong to a department. It had taken her a few years to find a niche and whilst she was well rounded enough to easily transition back to a mere hunter ninja, she doubted Tsunade would want her there. Jonin weren't hunter nin in the Leaf. It would be unheard of.

"I'm sorry, had it been Sakura that healed you then perhaps it would be different." Ino's eyes were down cast and Ayaka released a sigh realising that she'd have to at the very least comfort the poor girl. Sitting upright she motioned Ino to join her on the bed. For all her beauty and charisma, Ino Yamanaka was awfully insecure.

"Listen Ino, I ran almost three full days without even trying to administer first aid. Tsunade herself couldn't heal that perfectly without activating her seal so relax a little. The no scar's rule is for the ANBU seduction department alone. I am perfectly capable of seducing anyone I wanted to right now." Ayaka grinned suggestively at Ino earning the blondes laugh.

"Oh you should totally seduce Shikamaru! It's so funny when I do it."

"Gross! He's like my annoying little brother! And you really should stop playing with Shika like that Ino. The elders might just pair you two." Ino laughed at the idea, and shook her head, a fond look on her face.

"That'll be way too problematic for the formation and you know it!" The blonde rolled her eyes at Ayaka. The girls fell into silence for the moment each reflecting on one Shikamaru Nara.

For Ayaka, Shikamaru was a little brother she didn't particularly get along with. It wasn't deliberate but somehow they'd never quite meshed well. Fortunately, the watchful eye of Yoshino Nara had noted this and somehow they'd never been betrothed much to the elder's annoyance and thier relief.

Ino had known Shikamaru since birth and Ayaka had been certain that the two would eventually get together. In fact, Ayaka was certain that for all their denial they probably had at some point. There was a certain distance between the two now, which had never been there in their growing years. Perhaps she should set Ino up? Poor Ino, boy obsessed as she was, almost never dated. The girl was far from innocent, Ayaka would wager but would never date her catches. Still, Hana's brother was single and goodness knows she was incredibly bored. Plus Hana had mentioned Tsume wanted to pair up her youngest. How Hana was avoiding the pressure to marry, Ayaka had no idea.

Once she'd thought Hana was simply afraid of physical intimacy and has set her up with the most asexual Shinobi she knew. The resuresults had been dismal unfortunately.

"Hey, Ino do you want to join me and my genin team at the Inuzuka compound, we are going to make dinner?

* * *

 **KIBA**

Kiba was not a stranger to interacting with difficult woman, in fact living with both Tsume and Hana guaranteed he'd develop a high tolerance towards the antics of the fairer sex. However not even he could have possibly prepared for the addition of Ino to his sisters old genin team joining them for dinner.

Not only did the Yamanaka have a vocal range akin to a banshee, but she positively reeked of flowers. Normally, this wasn't an issue because it was rare that Kiba was even in Ino's presence for a prolonged period of time.

Why Ayaka Nara was persistently pairing them up to do even the most mundane of tasks was beyond him. Ino's scent did not give of any indication that the beautiful blonde heiress had any desire for his company at all. So now that it seemed Ayaka was trying to set them up, Kiba was stumped on how to get out of the situation.

"Hey Ayaka, you mind if I steal blondie to help set up the table?" Kiba inquired as Ayaka beamed at him. The look on her face almost broke his heart. Why did he have to have a crush on the Nara of all people?

Ayaka in all her perfection was chopping up some vegetables to be roasted whilst his sister fried up some steak. Shiho and Ino were on the side, creating some sort of desert whilst he'd just finished chopping onions, and dammit his eyes were just red. He definitely was not crying as he handed Ayaka the diced onions.

"Sure, go ahead-, "before she'd even finished her statement, Kiba lunged towards the other blonde in the room. Shiho sputtered incoherently as he was dragged out of the kitchen by her coat, Akamaru trailing happily behind the two. Hole almost felt bad for snagging Shiho. She was the quietest of the trio and had probably never, as a nerdy little paper ninn, had a man grab her so roughly. Poor thing had a crush on Shikamaru or so he'd heard. Honestly, given the way he chased after Temari, he didn't think Shiho stood a chance despite her being, on paper, Shikamaru's ideal woman.

He barely heard Ino comment as he left," Well, that's a fun pairing senpai."

 **SHIHO**

She stared at Kiba as he dragged her off to the dining room. Hana's brother was undeniably handsome in a rough sort of way, but he wasn't the type of guy that would show her attention unless he had an ulterior motive. If there's one thing Shiho hated, it was being used.

"You should just give up on Nara, and maybe she'd stop trying to shove Ino down your throat," she scowled at him as he released her roughly. He was angry. Inuzuka were always so damn sensitive she thought silently as she motioned him to hurry up.

"You should let go off the Nara, he obviously like's the sand princess more than you." Shiho's eyes widened at the accusation as she faltered laying the tablecloth. Surely her infatuation with Shikamaru was not as famous as Kiba's legendary infatuation with Ayaka.

Pulling a set of plates out and handing it to her to set out, Kiba gave her a glance up and down.

"Although looking at you, it's not surprising is it? Temari's smoking and you're just flat." Kiba smirked at her eyes still lingering at her form as Akamaru whined in protest at Kiba's words.

It was no surprise that his smirk changed to horror as she started to hurl plates at him.

"BLOODY MUTT!"

 **AYAKA**

"OH, you've got to be kidding me," Ayaka groaned as she heard Kiba and Shiho destroying the dining room. Ino was chuckling as Hana rolled her eyes. "Tsume is gonna kill us!"

Hana sighed as she dished herself a plate of food, perfectly content to eat in the kitchen, "No, mom's gonna kill them."

"I wonder what Kiba said senpai, Shiho's not really the volatile type," Ino pondered at she took a seat at the kitchen table next to Hana.

"Never mind those two, what's this I hear of you settling down? Really Ayaka, is it necessary to rush?" Hana asked as motioned Ayaka to sit down.

"What? Is Yoshino still on about that. Didn't think they were serious. I don't have many suitors," She replied.

"Izumo?" Hana's question stung a little as she braced herself to answer. She adored him really, but that ship had sailed in their Genin days already!

"That's long over. Plus, he's a specialized Jonin. The Nara wouldn't accept him." The line was well rehearsed and not at all untrue. She didn't need to add in a comment about how Kotetsu would frown upon his boyfriend marrying her. Or why Izumo held such a low rank, given his skill.

"Jonin only? And single ones from clans? Kami Ayaka! So, Kakashi, Gai and Asuma?" Ino suggested, laughing.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Any sentence that even remotely associated her with green spandex, a confusingly asexual porn loving jonin (he claimed the plot was phenomenal) or her aunts boytoy were one hundred percent rejected.

"What about someone foreign, Shika has his eye on Temari you know. She has two brothers." Ino offered, then froze, blue eyes widening at her mistake before bolting with speed Ayaka would later take pride in.

"Shikamaru has his eye on who? INO YAMANAKA GET BACK HERE!" Ayaka was brain was whirling with the political implications of Ino's statement. Her cousin was supposed to be a genius dammit she thought as she cornered her student.

"Sorry senpai I got to go! You didn't hear that from me." Ayaka sighed as the blonde vanished dramatically with the use of a smoke bomb. Clearly, she'd need to corner Shikamaru one day.

"What about Neji?" Ayaka frowned at Hana's question, seating herself back at the table as she opted for some desert.

"Really Hana? I barely know him since the academy. Even if he carried me home."

"All of Konoha's been talking about it. I've heard Yoshino chastised the Hyuuga clan and they're rumoured to be drafting a proposal." Ayaka stared at her friend in disbelief as the wall nearby shuddered. She glanced at it, wondering if Kiba and Shiho were still at it.

"That damn woman, I see why her son calls her troublesome." She said as the wall came crashing down around them. Ayaka dodged whilst Hana dove into the rubble at the sight of her brother.

* * *

 **KIBA**

The battle waged on. Not only was he having to dive out of the way of the ceramic projectiles, it was apparent that Akamaru had no interest in aiding him, the canine believing he'd earned the blonde's wrath fairly. And while he didn't think Shiho would be much of a physical match against him, the fact remained that the girl was too damned fast. Not as fast as Lee or Gai but fast enough to worm out of his grasp whenever he got a hold of her.

Even more annoying? The damned little cryptographer had a high pain tolerance and her Chakra hadn't faltered once. She was deliberately not taking this seriously. He'd gotten her with a kunai, grazing her arm and she hadn't even flinched, merely tossing the ruined lab coat aside and mumbling about teaching him manners. The spar would've been enjoyable had they not been destroying his house. Grabbing the blonde and hurling her at the wall before she could escape, he was surprised by the dent she'd left in the wall. He hadn't been holding back.

He was about to apologies, dare he risk Hana's wrath, when a trio of kunai embedded themselves in his arm. Howling in pain, he lunged forward without thinking.

"Kiba! Stop!" Shiho dodged with a shriek before he crashed into the wall where she had been, full force and completely obliterating it.

"Mom's gonna kill us," he murmured before passing out, eyes lingering on his new blonde nemesis as his sister shrieked name in anger.

* * *

 **SHIHO**

She was currently about to plead mercy from the Inuzuka clan head. She wasn't exactly sure why Tsume was smirking at her and the unconscious Kiba who was currently being healed by Hana. Ayaka, the traitor, had left immediately after Kiba had been stabilized and Shiho had no idea when the Yamanaka heiress had left.

"Traditionally Inuzuka proposals are not held in the clan head's home, but I'm sure that's my son's fault." Tsume scolded the almost unconscious Kiba as Shiho struggled to comprehend what was happening.

"Proposal?" she asked weakly, not liking the implications.

"Inuzuka only marry those that can defeat us in arm to arm combat, with our ninken present to judge impartially. Akamaru says you won."

Akamaru yipped excitedly in agreement, curled up against her leg. She offered the ninkin a strained smile at his affection.

"She did." Hana interjected sympathetically, and Shiho vaguely recalled why Hana never accepted spars of hand to hand combat, her face paling.

"I used weapons!" Shiho gasped out looking for a way out. Inuzuka were a less than traditional clan but even they had their customs.

"They're allowed," Kiba responded groggily as he sat up, looking pleadingly at his mother, "MOM please don't tell me this is real, I didn't think I'd lose. Plus, I don't know why Akamaru wouldn't fight. That rule hasn't been used in ages anyway."

Tsume shrugged, as she looked down at her son, "Clan custom's kids. Shiho proposed, and you accepted. At this point if either of you back out the elders have a right to have Akamaru killed if not neutered for allowing an unfavourable pairing."

And with just that one statement and a whine from Akamaru, Shiho realised she was screwed. Since, not only would Kiba do anything for his ninken, the glint in Tsume's eye's promised retribution if she tried to get out of it. Hana chuckled in amusement as she winked at the disbelieving pair.

All of Konoha heard her wail of frustration that night.

* * *


	5. Predicaments of fate

**AYAKA**

"Yoshino sama? You wished to speak with me?"

Ayaka peered into Yoshino's sitting room. Having moved out once she hit chuunin rank, she had hardly been in the clan heads sizeable house, nevermind the sitting room. If she was here, she was usually in the gardens, training.

She had a vague idea what Yoshino was going to be bringing up, however she hoped she was wrong. Sitting herself down on the couch, she met the gaze of the Nara matriarch.

"Shikaku and I have set up several candidates for an Omiai for you to look at, Ayaka." Yoshino Nara wasn't one to beat around the bush and deftly handed her a folder. Ayaka sighed at her aunt, accepting the documents and flicking them open.

"You must be joking Yoshino sama!". Disbelief rang out in her voice as she stared at the offensive documents accusingly.

"I assure you we are not. Unfortunately, given your rank the elders must have a say."

"Kakashi? Neji? Genma? For god's sake Yoshino, do they even know they're candidates? Genma is in a relationship of sorts. Kakashi's in a permanent state of grief. And Neji, well he's a Hyuuga!" Ayaka stood in exasperation. It wasn't as if she was against an arranged marriage, but the candidates troubled her. It was her preference really. However, Ayaka couldn't think of anyone suitable and that troubled her greatly. Was the Hyuuga boy really the only feasible choice in the Leaf?

Not that Kakashi and Genma weren't fine specimens despite their age. However, Ayaka did prefer her men both sexually and emotionally available.

"Ayaka, you don't need to decide now. Just give someone a chance."

"Not Kakashi or Genma, for Kami's sake. As for the Hyuuga, I'd prefer to get to know him before I'll allow it. I'll be leaving." Ayaka knew Yoshino would take heed of what she said as well as what she hadn't said. Gritting her teeth, she realised that the only way out of this would be if the Hyuuga wouldn't accept an Omiai with her.

Not that it was likely he would. It wasn't like they really knew each other, she thought as she made her way over to Hana's place. Neji Hyuuga also had two female cousins in the main branch as well, Hinata and Hanabi. Although, Ayaka knew neither girl personally she was aware that the Hyuuga girls were more traditional candidates then her.

Deciding it would be unlikely Hiashi Hyuuga wouldn't want Neji as a son in law, she decided that for now she was safe.

Trekking to the Inuzuka compound, found just past the Hyuuga compound was quite a walk, so Ayaka set off at a quick pace, not at all noticing the ninja trailing her.

* * *

 **NEJI**

It was possibly his worst nightmare come true. Hiashi had just informed him that unless he agreed to an Omiai with a suitable match, he'd be forced to accept an engagement to either Hanabi or Hinata.

Whilst Hinata simply feinted at the thought of marriage, his younger cousin and likely future clan head was spewing profanities at his largely unaffected uncle. A folder of candidates in order of preference, approved by the elders, had been thrust upon him. It was quite hefty, and sure to be filled with every eligible Hyuuga maiden and promising jonin or chuunin candidates the village had to offer.

He supposed this predicament was fate. Had he not caused such an uproar on his last mission, he'd maybe have had a year before the clan would have made such demands. However, the Hyuuga had changed slightly, folder in his hand proof of that. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't be given the luxury of his choice of potential bride.

Deciding to leave it up to fate, he pulled a page a bit lower down on the pile perhaps to spite the elders slightly, careful not to look at it before setting it on the table.

"This is a waste of my training time. I'll marry her then," He declared, at this point uncaring if he'd drawn even the hokage herself.

Hiashi's brows rose in surprise and Hanabi stilled, eyes wide. The barely conscious Hinata let out a faint gasp and he could almost sense the disapproval radiating from the few elders in the room.

Glancing down he felt his own surprise as he viewed the Omiai proposal for Ayaka Nara. Deciding not to jinx himself he swiftly exited the room, nodding his consent to his uncle. Neji was a strong believer in fate and if this match was or was up to the universe itself.

Perhaps he should seek some advice. He'd heard from Hinata that Kiba, of all shinobi, was to announce his engagement soon. Neji didn't often associate with members that weren't team Gai but perhaps seeing the Inuzuka would help. He did after all know Ayaka well. Deciding to head to the Inuzuka compound, he set of at a leisurely stroll, deep in thought.

* * *

 **DANZO**

He was terribly irked by the blonde Hokage who'd denied Ayaka Nara's transfer to any other faction of the ANBU following her dismissal from the seduction department. It wasn't that Danzo needed an operative like her per se but he couldn't deny he'd been severely disappointed the orphaned girl, a product of the Yuuhi and Nara clans had been placed under the care of the jonin commander and his wife.

He'd had no choice but to wait for the girl to graduate the academy to make a bid for her and by that time Sarutobi himself had taken note of a Nara with an unusual flair for being a heavy hitter. Indeed, Sarutobi had seen the potential to make her Anbu, however that was where Danzo and Sarutobi's opinions began to differ.

Whilst Sarutobi saw a girl with exquisite features displaying a natural flair for combat, Danzo saw the potential for the perfect kunoichi. Perhaps it was Danzo's interest himself that had Sarutobi place her in Seduction. It was such a waste to lose her there really, the root conditioning would never work in that Anbu branch and Danzo had never chosen to place any agents in it.

Yet still, under the guise of giving orders on the behalf of the hokage, he'd allocated her missions his agents could not complete. She didn't have the seal but Anbu wouldn't speak of their missions willingly, so he'd left her be until he'd heard rumours that Ayaka would soon be head of department.

He couldn't allow that to happen. As head Ayaka would eventually realise many of her missions were not sanctioned by the hokage. With Sarutobi, he could take such a risk but with a volatile Tsunade? It wasn't wise and if nothing else he was a man of wisdom.

So, having the young Nara disappear on a mission had been the most logical solution to his plan. Except she'd survived, killed a few agents and returned with help from a Hyuuga. Tsunade was warier than ever. Worse, the newest Hyuuga jonin's actions had gotten the entire council gossiping. There were even rumors the two were set to be engaged! How ubsurd!

Ayaka could not be allowed to gain anymore status in the village, especially as an active Jonin. If she were to marry a Hyuuga she'd be untouchable within the Hyuuga compound. Things would be worse if she got involved with politics, he did remember Hiruzen calling her uncannily charismatic for someone that favored decapitation. Danzo needed to get rid of her or have her sealed immediately.

The prettiest of things at the end of the day, were often the most lethal.

* * *


	6. Hyuuga-sama and a hime

**AYAKA**

Like any respectable Jonin of the Leaf, Ayaka prided herself on being alert and always prepped for battle. Truth be told with her ninjutsu alone she was normally more than equipped to handle unforeseen danger, however with her one arm still healing, and neglecting to bring her ninja gear along she was not entirely battle ready.

Which lead her to her current predicament. She'd been attacked, in her own village, no less. A blank masked shinobi had flung a kunai at her side, whilst his partner moved to tackle her. It was only her quick reflexes and enhanced hearing that had allowed her swift dodge, landing in a guarded position. Gritting in annoyance at the hole in her Kimono, a dark blue number with lotus blossom embroidery, she growled at her foe. She hadn't used pure taijutsu in a while really but she'd be damned if she didn't get vengeance for the sake of her damaged outfit.

Did nobody understand how expensive her Kimonos were? At this rate she'd be forced to dress like a real Nara, if only because battle gear was easy to come by and cheap. She shuddered at the thought.

Her opponents, whom she did not recognise, had no sympathy for her inner fashion turmoil as they launched themselves at her forcing her to evade lest she engaged herself in a two against one taijutsu match. She parried the blows and evaded stray kunai, cursing the fact that the nearest clan compounds, the Inuzuka and the Hyuuga were not close enough for her to flare her chakra and get immediate help. Even if someone did sense it, she was still far enough away that either clan would assume she was sparring, given the usual safety of the village.

Wishing she'd taken up Guy's offers for sparring, she launched herself at one of the masked ninja, feeding raw chakra to her injured arm and flung the shinobi at his partner who dodged before following up with a heavy kicks and punches as the assault continued.

 **NEJI**

A familiar flare of chakra hit him as he leisurely made his way to the Inuzuka compound. It took him a moment to place the signature as Ayaka's, the kunoichi who'd been on his mind. He was surprised she was training. He'd assumed the girl would need to take it easy while she was healing. Activating his byakugan to spy, no check-up, on his prospective bride he startled at the sight.

That wasn't a damn spar! Whoever her masked opponents were, they wanted to kill or possibly injure her. Both were at least jonin level and one could easily see that Ayaka was tiring despite holding her own. Without even thinking about it his feet were already moving towards her and if being on team Guy had thought him anything it, was how to make a dramatic entry.

With a carefully timed leap he landed between the three, easily incapacitating one of the enemy shinobi with the Gentle fist before he could react. Ayaka smiled at him coyly as is the masked ninja fell, shifting into a more relaxed position now that the odds were in her favour.

"Here to rescue me again, _Hyuuga-sama_?" She dragged the honorific, with a small smile on her face. Neji wasn't sure if the woman in front of him was annoyed by his presence or grudgingly extending respect towards him as a recognized prodigy amongst the Hyuuga.

"I'll finish this up quickly, _hime_. You should be resting after all." His byakugan activated he noted the young woman seemed amused by hid verbal retaliation, but not at all retreating from the battle. It wasn't really a lie though. If Hinata was truly a princess of the Hyuuga clan, then Ayaka was surely a princess of the Nara clan. It wouldn't do him good to address the woman improperly seeing that he had only just decided to court her in the eyes of the clan. What kind of man would he be if he didn't protect his future betrothed?

Not that he had any certainty she'd accept him. Yet realistically speaking, Ayaka couldn't have had many suitors. Not because she wasn't attractive, kami that was a laughable idea, but people their age simply weren't jonin yet. Nor did they have the kind of reputation that could sway a woman of her success in Anbu. The idea that Shikamaru, the worlds laziest chuunin was his best competition was actually sad. Ayaka would be forced to choose him, if his clan didn't force the issue he had little doubt her desire to not become some perverted aging shinobi's trophy would.

And so, with a surprisingly overwhelming urge to show off, which was absurd because Hyuuga were the best and naturally didn't need to go to such lengths to prove such things, Neji shifted into an battle stance.

 **TSUNADE**

"So tell me again how you managed to re-injure the chakra path in your arm? Foolish girl! You were on medical leave for a reason."

"My apologies, Tsunade-sama, she got in my way during the battle and I accidentally struck her."

"It was my battle!"

"I was saving you, _hime_."

"Don't you call me that, _Hyuuga sama._ "

"ENOUGH! Ibiki is currently interrogating your attackers. Officially, they don't seem to be members of Konoha's forces but they haven't yielded any information. As for your lovers quarrel, sort out you're issues at your Omiai."

Tsunade smirked at the surprised look the teenagers gave her. True, arranged marriages were usually time consuming business, but with the recent attack on Ayaka, she'd sped things up a little.

"The Hyuuga accepted?" Ayaka's features displayed awe as she gazed at her hokage and Neji, though blushing furiously, managed to remain coy. Tsunade gave a laugh as she decided to throw the young man under the bus. Certainly he deserved it for further injuring one of her Jonin on medical leave.

"Actually, the Hyuuga requested it. Hiashi tells me you were Neji's first choice. He and Yoshino ironed out the particular's while you two were showing off at the Inuzuka compound."

Neji let out an uncharacteristic squeak at Tsunade's revelation, set on denying his selection of the Nara girl whilst said Nara immediately began mumbling about troublesome old woman living vicariously and not thinking about the political implications of her decisions.

Now that was a riot! Yoshino Nara living vicariously through Ayaka. Kami! If only Shikaku could hear that. It wasn't that Yoshino hadn't been a fine kunoichi, but Tsunade had to admit the woman had the misfortune of marrying the clan head and subsequently retired to handle clan affairs after their engagement. Further, Tsunade had to admit Ayaka had a good head on her shoulder's when it came to politics. Most agent's in seduction did, their targets were more often than not politicians if not men of other great influence. Maybe she should send Ayaka on a diplomatic mission. God's knows shikamaru had no patience for them unless it involved Suna.

Temari no Subaku was Suna's official diplomat, with the Nara heir as an escort, which was proving to be a problematic pairing as the two were most certainly, dare she put it bluntly, rutting on the sly. If she were to set Ayaka as Konoha's diplomat to Suna, she could not only reduce the amount of paperwork she had but also prevent a potential international incident when Shikamaru and Temari's affairs were revealed to her brothers. Besides, she knew Ayaka would flay her cousin alive should she discover him bedding a foreign princess whilst on a mission. Now, just to give Ayaka a final push towards the Hyuuga brat so that she could protect her till Danzo was dealt with.

Why not go with the truth? An altered version of it perhaps.

"If it isn't to your liking Ayaka, the war hawk Danzo has taken an interest in you. He's a tad older than myself I'm afraid, so virility might be an issue there."

Needless to say Ayaka slammed the door on her way out, taking the appalled looking Hyuuga boy with her by the elbow.

 **KIBA**

He was on a date with Shiho. Well, not really a date but a negotiation between them.

"So how do you propose we do this?'' The messy blonde haired cryptographer enquired as she sipped her tea, a fragrant vanilla chai that Kiba was regretting not ordering.

"I'm not sure really, mom managed a divorce and her ninken is fine, so I figure we fake it till after the wedding then we can call it quits when its safe." Kiba sipped his beer, pondering on the absurdity of the situation.

The woman in front of him was his fiancée. The sentence felt weird in his thoughts as her subtly checked her out. Shiho was no great beauty, her platinum hair, a shade too close to Tsunade's, was forced into a messy ponytail and honestly needed some TLC. She wore a lab coat which did little for her figure. He doubted the woman knew what makeup was, a braniac like her had no patience for something so trivial. She hid half her face behind large glasses which was a shame because her skin was remarkably clear, free from scars and burns that resulted from battle. He wondered what her eyes looked like.

Whilst she wasn't beautiful she wasn't unattractive, he'd give her that. Kiba was a lover of woman and even he could see that if the girl would maybe see a hairstylist and maybe dress better he'd have taken note of her. Given she was taller than him slightly she had to have impossibly long legs. Could he convince her to dress up maybe? Feeling his thoughts wondering he refocused on the woman willing to marry him to save his ninken.

"…and in the case of you're mother she'd already produced an heir and a spare."

The woman in front of him looked doubtful and kiba felt a flash of panic. Would she change her mind? He was asking a lot, he knew. However for the sake of Akamaru she had to agree. He would make sure of it.

 **SHIHO**

Kiba was staring at her looking slightly dazed. She was quite sure he wasn't drunk, he'd barely touched his beer. To have an attractive man eyeing her body like that was uncomfortable to Shiho. Not that her was eyeing her with attraction of course. Kiba had made it clear Akamaru was his priority and she had best not have any lewd thoughts about him.

"We need to make this look real Shiho san. I can't risk Akamaru. Please."

She'd never attracted men. Not while her teammates were Hana and Ayaka. Sure, she didn't mind not being on the receiving end of the leering looks Hana often received nor had anyone threw her the kind of inuendo's that were the norm for Ayaka, but she simply didn't have any experience with men, save her ill-fated pursuit of Shikamaru.

"Kiba san this is marriage we speak of. I like someone else." Shiho looked at doubtfully, uncertain if they could pull of his request and also uncertain if she were willing, despite his aesthetic appeal.

"Someone that doesn't want you. Look I understand, but please you can learn to like me." To her surprise after that declaration, which admittedly stung her a little because dammit she knew Shikamaru was with that sand girl, Kiba roughly reached out to her across the narrow table and laid one on her, in front of the whole room.

She froze at the kiss, her very first. Her eyes were wide as she barely noted the whistles in the background as Kiba cupped her face. Her face heated up as she responded tentatively, feeling surprised at Kiba's teeth nipping at her lower lip and she gripped his available hand in response. Kami this wasn't what she expected it to be like. She was amazed, no shocked.

Shocked because, she was quite certain she liked it. And just as quickly as it had begun I was over. Kiba clutched her hand like it was a lifeline as looked at her almost pleadingly. Those god damned puppy dog eyes! Shiho was overwhelmed.

"I can try,"she said, then as if finally comprehending her bold reply she bolted.


	7. Vengeance, that bitch

**_[AN: Sorry,this was a bit of a rushed chapter, but enjoy! and please review.]_**

 **AYAKA**

"So exactly whom is trying to kill me?" Ayaka slunk into the Jonin commander's office waking her uncle from his nap. Neji followed her in, simply because the newbie jonin had apparently taken it upon himself to be her unofficial escort and even if he wouldn't admit it he was as curious as she was about recent events. She had found it unusual Orochimaru's warden had sent so many after her, and that they'd failed so spectacularly at teamwork. Could there be more than one party at play? If so why was she being kept out of the loop? Until recently she'd been a potential head of department for ANBU, so she doubted she lacked the clearance.

Neji took a stance almost protectively at her side. They'd not had a chance to discuss the hokage's bombshell yet, although for all intents and purposes Neji seemed to be acting as if Tsunade's words had been true. It would be a romantic notion she supposed that he'd selected her as his bride candidate himself, if he wasn't such a colossal stick in the mud who'd likely already gone off on some tangent about their fates being intertwined and Ayaka was entirely convinced that Kami himself was testing her and she was quite certain a kami would do something annoying as that.

Shikaku groaned at his niece. He'd already had the worst morning, she'd heard of a meeting with the ANBU commander, who'd insisted on placing more ANBU around the Nara clan. Thankfully, due to the eerie blank masked assailants the hokage had insisted that a regular jonin would suffice as Ayaka's guard. And who better than her soon to be fiancé?

"Until further notice, Neji Hyuuga will be your guard in the village. You'll be moving into the Nara head house for now because Yoshino insists it will be improper for you to impose yourself on the Hyuuga prior to any announcements. As for who attacked you, Ino and her father are working on it."

Ayaka blinked. None of that information was particularly pleasant, especially since Shikaku heavily implied that Neji were to be her betrothed. She'd seriously only had that conversation with Yoshino this morning. How long had the Hyuuga contemplated her as a bride candidate?

Living with the Nara's though? Had it not been established that the apocalypse might occur should she and Shikamaru spend any significant time in each other's company? Aside from that, Ino should be training under her not gallivanting off spending time with Anko, Inoichi and Ibiki. Those three were so going to steal her damned student.

"So you are not going to tell me anything?" Her tone raised dangerously, cutting through the air sharply as she focused on Shikaku, body no longer relaxed.

"Clearance at this point is clan heads, spouses and potential heirs only."

Ayaka narrowed her eyes at Shikaku dangerously. Was he seriously implying that Shikamaru would be informed but not her? Clan heir or not that was outrageous, did nobody in this damned village take her seriously as a Kunoichi? Next to her the Hyuuga stilled, his pale eyes glancing at her warningly. Ayaka resisted the urge to roll her eyes, because of course the Hyuuga would think it improper to raise her voice to her uncle. Ayaka turned without waiting to be dismissed, hearing Shikaku sigh as she reached the door. She paused, then smirked dropping the tense behaviour and spun around to face her uncle again, pushing Neji to the side slightly so her uncle could see her properly.

"It seems Shikamaru has taken an interest in the sand princess's virtue," she brought her hand to her face mocking thoughtfulness as she continued, " I suppose the Nara will have to relocate to the sand then, if Shikamaru is the true heir."

Grabbing the Neji's hand lightly she waltzed out the room smiling at Shikaku's light curses as she exited. Let the jonin commander manoeuvre that bombshell without involving a whole Yoshino over reacting. For once, Ayaka was glad Shikamaru was as infuriating as always.

 **SHIHO**

Shiho was enjoying her tea trying to keep the Kiba incident out of her head for now when she was startled by an angry shout.

"THAT BITCH!"

Normally, working with Shikamaru was very enjoyable. He kept silent for the most part, and when he spoke he was perfectly polite. Conversation was also quite intellectually stimulating as well. However, whatever news Shikamaru had received while she was away on her lunch break had the normally relaxed chuunin seething.

"Is something the matter Shikamaru san?"

"You! Did you put her up to this?"

She looked at him indignantly, where was this misplaced anger coming from? Shikamaru was the most passive guy she knew.

"Put who, up to what Shikamaru san _? Best believe if it is not work related I suggest you not take that tone with me today._ " her response was dangerous and she could see Shikamaru falter. She'd been a chuunin far longer then him and she was sure she could kick his ass, even if she didn't favor combat.

"Ayaka told my parent's about Temari." Shikamaru said. His tone was more pleasant at least although his gaze clearly lingered on her with mistrust. Talk about conceited! As if she, the head cryptographer had enough time to sabotage Shikamaru's relationship. She had bigger problems at the moment.

"And prey tell Nara san, why would I be involved with that?" Shiho said in a bored voice, yet internally infuriated by her current conversation. She flickered between contemplating stabbing him or something a bit more childish.

"You like me. Ayaka knows this. You asked her to…?" he didn't complete his sentence. Shiho was pretty sure her face resembled a tomato as she now openly glared at the Chuunin she believed was wasting her time.

"No, Shikamaru. If you had paid any sort of attention to the world you'd realise I took leave this morning to discuss marriage logistics with MY FIANCEE!" So Shikamaru definitely did not need to know the engagement was indirectly orchestrated by one of Ayaka's plots gone wrong. In fact Shiho still needed to get her back for that. Chucking her lukewarm tea at a now sheepish looking Shikamaru she found herself plotting.

"Okay I deserve that, sorry Shiho." Shikamaru sounded apologetic, but she didn't dare look at him.

"I did like you, you know." She felt herself grow tense at her confession. Yet, Shikamaru just chuckled looking wistfully at the floor.

"I know, Shiho."

"I never stood a chance did I?" She finally looked at him, face neutral as she met the gaze of the boy she'd once fallen for.

"That's the sad part," Shikamaru looked at her seriously, despite his now sopping hair covering his face in the most ridiculous way, "you once did." Shiho sighed gathering her stuff while Shikamaru wiped his face.

"Come on, I know where Ayaka is," Shiho smiled to herself, motioning the Chuunin as she walked through the door. Just this once she'd help Shikamaru exact just vengeance on his cousin.

 **NEJI**

He found himself sitting beside his soon to be fiancée in a pub, the Inuzuka siblings and Ayaka were engaged in an animated discussion, recounting the day's events. It seemed like Hana was upping security at the compound whilst Kiba had been pulled from missions to add to the guard duty at the village. The latter seemed bummed, and Neji had the urge to engage Kiba in private conversation however with Ayaka and Hana still chatting away a mile a minute about the Jonin commander's audacity it might be okay to talk to Kiba here.

"Kiba, I heard that you're enga-, "with more force than Neji had thought Kiba thought was capable of, he found himself yanked to his feet by his ponytail. The two brunettes stared at him, Ayaka's eyes curious whilst Kiba made a ridiculous claim about getting Neji a drink to loosen him up.

Wait! Why was Ayaka nodding so enthusiastically? As he was being dragged away by the determined Inuzuka, he faintly heard Hana's and Ayaka's conversation.

"…has a stick up his ass, I swear Hana!" Bristling with indignation he turned to Kiba.

"What the hell are you doing mutt? I'm meant to guard her!" Kiba snorted still dragging him to the bar, motioning the bartender to deliver them two beers much to Neji's disgust.

"They're both more capable Jonin than you on their worst day mate. Anyway this pub is empty besides that couple in the corner and us, it's barely noon."

"So you're engaged." It wasn't a question yet Kiba nodded to him sheepishly.

"Yeah sorry, don't want you bringing that up around them. Shiho's their teammate after all." Kiba seemed worried mentioning his fiancée, frown on his face as he motioned the bartender to hurry up.

"Ayaka is my …" Neji didn't know how to explain it. They'd not even had their omai yet and he had no idea what to call her, yet Kiba nodded, understanding his silence.

"Yeah Hinata said you saving her caused an uproar. You're a lucky guy, she'd marry just about anyone because it's her duty. Yet, you saved her, twice now. That'll make her acknowledge you at least." Kiba was staring at the wall now. Not even looking at him. Neji found himself uncomfortable.

"I'm going back. My duty is to guard her in public." Neji made to move before the beers arrived but Kiba held him back long enough for the bartender to place the putrid drink before him and take their money.

"Seriously mate, she's not going to be attacked in this ghost town of a bar," Kiba exclaimed as they both turned to head back.

Which was the precise moment that Shikamaru barged in, followed by a messy haired blonde and tried to maim his laughing cousin with Kunai.


	8. An emergency in cryptology

**[AN: felt like the next chapter needed a small tease so we have this just to get the anticipation going]**

 **KIBA**

Watching Ayaka and Neji incapacitate Shikamaru was amazing. While never quite a powerhouse himself, Shikamaru had always been one of the best the rookie 9 had to offer. Shikamaru was a proficient ranged fighter at worst and a skilled strategist at best.

Neji was a prodigy, likely the best the Hyuuga had seen in years. Even Kiba, with the increased physical strength that came with being an Inuzuka, would likely hold no candle to the new Jonin anytime soon. His sister could, but Hana was a force of nature in her own right and an experienced active jonin.

As for Ayaka? It was laughable to imagine that a Jonin like her would ever be an easy target. Year's of Anbu training had her moulded into a weapon. It was a well-known fact, the young woman was not merciful. Her kill count, while far below Kakashi's rivalled Kurenai sensei's who'd been a jonin far longer.

So, while it came as no surprise that Ayaka had deflected the Kunai with ease and Shikamaru had utilized his clan jutsu with significantly difficulty to prevent her from reaching for Kunai. Naturally, neither Nara had paid any significant attention to the Hyuuga in the room so when Neji attacked the bulk of Shikamaru's tenketsu both were surprised.

While Shikamaru slumped limply, at Ayaka squawked with indignation at what Kiba was convinced was clearly just Neji showing off. Yet, despite everything happening, he found himself distracted by the blonde in the room, watching the scene with a soft smile on her face.

"Having fun?" He asked Shiho slipping beside her as Hana looked Shikamaru over. Shikamaru, Ayaka and Neji were heatedly conversing but Kiba decided to not pay them any mind. Surprisingly really, he almost never ignored her particularly inspiring presence and yet here they were.

 **SHIHO**

She resisted the urge to blush as Kiba slid next to her, the flirtatious Inuzuka slipping his hand around her waist carefully as he asked, "Having fun?"

"They deserved it," she laughed easing into Kiba's embrace. So what if their relationship was an elaborate ploy at this point? She'd never been the girl with a cute guy interested in her. Taking advantage of knowing Kiba's intentions towards making things believable, and wanting to mess with both Ayaka and Shikamaru she shot Kiba a wink. The male's eyebrows raised questioningly as she leaned in placing a peck on his tattoo'd cheek before cooing at Akamaru who was happily licking at her ankles.

"Akamaru chan, won't you fetch Ino? She can't miss Kiba and my engagement party." Kiba's eyes widened in horror as the rest of the room turned to gawk at them.

"Well the entire cryptography department is empty right now. All missions are going to be on hold," she smiled at Ayaka, handing Kiba her lab coat and walking to the bar. When was the last time she'd had sake with the girls? Besides, it was going to be a wild night, Ino would see to that.

 **TSUNADE**

"Tsunade sama! There's an emergency in crptology." Tsunade blinked at Shizune. Surely, the damned cryptology department could not have a real emergency. Those paper pushers were the bane of her existence. The paperwork they sent her was obscene.

"Paper cut's do not classify as an emergency Shizune!" She shouted at her assistant in annoyance.

"They're drunk," Shizune said exasperatedly looking at her Hokage. Tsunade hadn't been expecting that. Cryptology was about as exciting as Danzo's love life.

 _"And why is the entire department drunk?"_

"Ino Yamanaka, Tsunade hime."

 _"Get someone to bring me the Yamanaka brat."_

"We can't, you see. I'm afraid Ino was quite thorough."

 _"Oh. How so?"_

 _"_ Tsunade hime its best to remain calm but every available ninja above chuunin rank is otherwise incapacitated at the moment."

 _"Incapacitated? "_

"Drunk."

Tsunade contemplated for a mere moment. Would it really be that bad to let the damned war hawk have the hat? He couldn't have that many years left. What insanity had possessed her to take this terrible job. Naruto or not, she did not sign up for this utter blasphemy.

 _"Shizune?"_

"Yes, Hokage sama?"

 _"Bring me my Sake. The good kind."_

 **[AN: So expect some spicy developments in the next chapter. Also Ino's involved so you know things are about to get interesting. Potentially a rated M chapter ahead.** **]**


	9. Allow me to serve you

**Warning, mature scenes ahead. Please skip this chapter if need be.**

 **Also reviews are love!**

 **NEJI**

He was currently babysitting the Nara duo whom at some point had buried the hatchet amidst rounds of alcohol, likely because neither Nara wanted to head home and face Yoshino. The two were a giggling mess as Shikamaru, bragged about Temari's many troublesome characteristics and complained about her brothers. He supposed it was endearing how Shikamaru's face came alive with both terror and undiluted awe when he talked about his sand girl.

Elsewhere at the bar Shino and Lee were thankfully testing out the bartenders mocktails. A happy moment because Neji did not want to see either one drunk although Lee on a sugar high was still a questionable event. Chouji was hitting the dancefloor spinning around a severely intoxicated Ino with something Ino had called an 'edible' in his other hand. Neji had declined the suspicious food item on behalf of his table.

Hana was mid drinking contest with Kakashi and Guy, the two males severely regretting engaging the only daughter of Tsume Inuzuka. Neji did not want to think about the way both men openly flirted with the oblivious vet. Kurenai and Asuma had suspiciously vanished after congratulating Kiba, although Anko claimed they were still around because she could smell what they were up to.

Sakura had arrived late from her hospital shift and like a true protégé of the hokage was running up her tab whilst earning the attention of many a young shinobi with her exotic looks. Kotestsu and Izumo were nearby, both quietly conversing with thier fingers intertwined.

He saw the cause of all the chaos, Shiho happily chatting away with Genma and Raido both of whom were questioning her choice of men over a bottle of sake. Other members from the cryptology department joined them and the table soon became one of the fullest and loudest.

At some point, the hokage herself had entered the pub, most likely fully intent on reigning in her subordinates, when she'd seen the specials at the bar. Shizune had followed disapprovingly until Ko, of all people had started chatting her up. Considering the shade of red she was turning, Neji was glad he wasn't privy to that conversation.

At his side, Kiba was currently trying to persuade him to have a drink with him and Hinata. The latter of which was already pink in the face due to her intake of the amber liquid that TenTen had ordered for the table before vanishing with some unknown Jonin to inspect his 'Kunai'. Neji had dutifully ignored that situation knowing that TenTen might castrate him should he interfere. Neji eyed the 'tequila shots' as Kiba called them, doubtfully. He was parched, surely this little shot would not cause much trouble.

Picking up the salt shaker he licked the salt, noting Ayaka's eyes on him. She smirked at his reaction when he slammed the shot down, passing him a piece of lime. Kiba was congratulating him, whilst Shikamaru was motioning Hinata for more drinks, leaning severely on Ayaka.

"Is that all you can take _Hyuuga sama_?"

The challenge hung in the air and against his better judgement he found himself humouring her. Lilac eyes met crimson as he leaned in, touching her chin to force her to hold his gaze. His heart nearly short circuited when she licked her lips and he found himself replying without thinking.

"I'm just starting _hime_."

 **AYAKA**

2 HOURS LATER

The buzz that she was on felt amazing. Shikamaru had long since joined his teammates on the dancefloor under Ino's insistence whilst a tipsy Hinata had never returned from saying hi to Sakura, both girls talking animatedly about men and their stupidity. Kiba had long left to go flirt or check up on Shiho after realising the blonde had been away for too long. The partying had hit the apex now, most shinobi were seriously intoxicated, a case highlighted by the hokage herself who'd started an arm wrestling contest to win drinks.

Thus, Ayaka found herself alone with the Hyuuga prodigy in their somewhat secluded booth and she was having fun with riling him up in the rowdy environment. If anything, the Hyuuga was still a man and it showed now that he was intoxicated. They had not spoken to each other in at least an hour, each choosing to enjoy their proximity and observe the people around them. However Ayaka was a master in the art of seduction and whilst their conversation offered little, Neji's body language was screaming that he wanted her attention.

Their current predicament, Ayaka placed on his lap with her face in his neck was probably a first for him. Hyuuga weren't prone to public displays of affection, or indecency as a sober Neji would say. However, a drunk Neji seemed to have no problem with lacing his fingers through her hair, which probably wouldn't be too erotic if he didn't seem to smile every time he pulled particularly hard on her hair. His one hand ventured to her leg, not dangerously high per se but tracing slow circles through her kimono which had only gotten looser and more dishevelled as the evening wore on. They were probably in a discreet enough corner that Ayaka doubted that anyone would notice had Neji chose to be more daring but she knew it wasn't his style. Ayaka bet he didn't even realise he what he was doing did she buried her face in his neck before speaking.

" _Hyuuga sama,"_ she purred instantly feeling him stiffen at the movement of her lips against his neck.

"Yes _hime_?" He questioned, slurring slightly into her hair, his hand tracing higher up her leg.

"I like that." She said simply, figuring the Hyuuga probably wouldn't react well to her being more forward than that and not really expecting much of a reaction. The hyuuga had saint like self-control given his intoxication. Too her surprise however it seemed like said self-control was wearing off as the hand on her thigh drifted into the folds of the kimono resting dangerously high on her thigh. His fingertips grazed her underwear and Ayaka didn't dare move, lest she scare the normally uptight male away.

"Always a pleasure to serve the _hime._ " Neji began to trace small circles on her damp underwear and Ayaka lost it. Was she, a master of seduction being seduced by a prude? Without thinking of the consequences she latched onto his neck, nibbling as sucking until she felt his hand still and his breathing quicken. Pulling her face away from his neck to meet his lavender eyes, she placed a chaste kiss, one she doubted anyone would notice as she smiled at her victim.

"Then serve me well _Hyuuga sama_."

Needless to say, Neji's fingers slid into her underwear mere seconds later.

 **NEJI**

He knew he shouldn't be doing this in public, no less to Ayaka of all people. He'd severely underestimated his tolerance against this so called 'tequila' and yet somehow he didn't care.

His hand was soaked, and Ayaka was whimpering in his neck as she clung to him almost desperately. Contrary to popular belief he wasn't inexperienced and he was displaying it to her now, smirking as he felt her walls clench around his fingers. Seducing his betrothed was actually fun. A seductress herself she hadn't expected his boldness. Not that he had either, but he supposed those Tequila shots had been a bit more potent than he'd realized. Perhaps it was the secluded area they were in but they couldn't keep it up, he realised as the girl barely could keep herself still on his lap. Surely soon someone would check up on them. That and he had a significant problem in his pants given how the past fifteen minutes had escalated.

" _Hime_ , I need us to leave **now**." She nodded consent, clearly unwilling to try to vocalise anything whilst he pursued with his ministrations. Withdrawing his hand and smirking at her barely audible whine, he helped her to her feet, thankful her kimono didn't seem too distressed.

They exited swiftly, neither bothering to say goodbye to their friends. He felt Ko's eyes on them, but paid the older Hyuuga no attention. As soon as they exited, he pulled her into an alley, pressing her back flush against the wall as he slammed his mouth against hers.

Ever since they'd gotten to the bar, he couldn't deny he'd had the urge to taste her. Her chaste sample from earlier was no longer enough as he allowed his mouth to ravage her. First her mouth, then neck and then finally bolder than he'd ever been in public, he parted her kimono top slightly, allowing him better access to her torso.

Unfortunately, her bindings had him struggling and he felt her laugh breathily against him.

"Do you plan to ravage me in the street _Hyuuga sama_?" Although she was teasing and Neji was damn well sure the girl would probably have no qualms with him taking her right there and he suddenly felt quite guilty.

So disregarding logic, he picked her up over his shoulder and ran whilst she giggled and demanded he put her down, which he would do eventually once he got her to bed.

Sneaking into the Hyuuga compound was a challenge but using Hinata and Hanabi's private garden he'd gotten her into his room within 5 minutes of warning her to be silent. Depositing the brunette in his bed he wasted no time joining her.

Kisses blurred into wondering hands and blissful moans from the woman underneath him. He all but ripped her out of her clothes and disregarded his with equal care when she flipped them over and his eyes descended upon the nude perfection that straddled him.

Her eyes met his, probably for the millionth time that evening as she eased him into her, driving him mad with her slow movements. He gripped at her ass roughly slamming her down, smiling at her moan that was significantly louder than anything he'd heard thus far and wanting to make her scream. Stilling to let her adjust, he kept her gaze as she pouted at him for his slight display of dominance. Still, if he had any thoughts of continuing his actions he was immediately dissuaded by the barest hint of danger in her eyes.

"Allow me to serve you, _Hyuuga sama."_

 **SAI**

He was well aware that his mission to incapacitate Ayaka Nara was going to fail and that Danzo sama would most likely be mad at him. However, Sai while admittedly emotionally handicapped was still quite frankly a red blooded male.

So when Ino Yamanaka, a clan heir had dragged him to the bathroom claiming he was cute, he did the only logical thing he could do. He followed her, and complied with her whims. After all he couldn't exactly risk blowing his cover whilst the hokage herself was at the pub. Besides, no man would resist the Yamanaka heir, he could always reason that with Danzo later.

For the sake of his mission cover he could definitely allow the Yamanaka to utilize his face, even if he needed to be on his knees for it. Danzo would surely understand that he couldn't risk earning the attention of an heir.


	10. You keep woman's kimonos?

**KIBA**

He gripped his blonde menace possessively as he pried her away from her table. At some point during the night he'd come to the shocking realization that he's fiancee was surrounded by males. Highly intoxicated males. It wasn't jealousy so much as it was instinct that he'd subtly pulled her away. His inner Inuzuka was screaming at him to make a show of ownership but knowing he'd probably make an ass of himself if he did it now, he opted to just escort her home.

She leaned heavily into him, happily cooing at Akamaru as they exited the still packed pub. He spied Hinata with Shino to his relief and Hana still surrounded by the triplets who would most definitely see her home. Which just left Shiho to be his sole responsibility since Ayaka and Neji were nowhere to seen. Picking up the blonde mess who seemed to have lost all forms of coordination, Kiba inhaled deeply catching two familiar scents. Immediately, sending chakra to his ears Kiba cringed as he confirmed the pair of scents and the smell of arousal heavy in the air.

 _"Do you plan to ravage me in the street Hyuuga sama?"_

Freezing momentarily at the the walked slowly, noting that Shiho seemed like she was asleep. Surely, it wouldn't be that difficult to scent out her apartment he thought as he opted to let the blonde sleep.

He pondered on his predicament as he walked the streets of Konoha. Despite his initial reservations, Shiho seemed like a sweet girl. Sure, the blonde had an abrasive side but he attributed that to being a shinobi, even the kind hearted Hinata could show aggression under the right circumstances.

It didn't seem fair that Shiho would be forced into a loveless marriage for his sake. However with Akamaru under threat, what could Kiba do about it? He was lucky that his sister's genin teammate had agreed to anything. Could he try to get out of this somehow? Could Hana help? If he couldn't get out of this, could they try? Would he be willing to work things out with a girl he'd never normally spare a glance? Or would they divorce after producing a child or two like his mother had? Could she do that? Could he?

Furiously ignoring his wayward thoughts he found himself at a small apartment, on the rougher side of town. Frowning with confusion, he tried to shake Shiho awake, this was bordering on the red light district. The blonde blearily cracked open an eyelid, groaning about how she could've walked herself home.

"You live here?" Kiba asked curiously, helping her push open the door. She nodded sleepily, diving onto a sofa that had clearly seen better days. Kiba helped Shiho out of her shoes and coat, seeing that the girl would've been content to just lay there.

"Kiba kun, why aren't you drunk?" She inquired sleepily as he picked her up and carried her to what he hoped was her bedroom, Akamaru trailing behind curiously.

"Inuzuka have a high metabolic rate. I was drunk, but I burn the alcohol off quicker." He replied, tucking the blonde in. Noting her tiny sparsely decorated room, he was surprised to see that Shiho even had a framed picture of her genin squad and their fallen sensei. Glancing back at her, he found her looking at him sheepishly. Raising his brow at that particular look, he waited for her to say what was on her mind.

"You should stay, on the couch I mean. It would convince people…" her voice trailed off and Kiba nodded in silent agreement. Leaving Akamaru to 'guard' his intoxicated fiancee he made his way to the couch, fully intent on pondering their situation all night.

 **SHIKAMARU**

His mother was currently spewing a tirade of troublesome accusations at him whilst he wobbly navigated towards his bedroom. He'd hastily informed them Ayaka would not be home if she wasn't already here and now Yoshino had taken it upon herself to scold Shikamaru about that too.

Why was he always surrounded by troublesome women? Between Yoshino, Ino and Ayaka he was already at his limits. Now that his mother was aware he was interested in Suna's only princess, things could only get more complicated.

He didn't want to lose Temari, but even he understood the implications of courting her. Could he force Ayaka into the position of Nara heir? Did he even want to? How would the Sand politicians feel about their relationship? What about Gaara and Kankuro? What complications with Hyuuga would arise if Ayaka suddenly became an heir? Most importantly, who was trying to kill her?

Shikamaru slid to the floor, not even bothering to get to his room as he succumbed to the alcohol in his system. His mother's voice suddenly very distant as his thought's converged in on themselves.

 **SAI**

Failing Danzo had resulted in severe consequences for the young root member. Fuu and Torune had delivered his punishment with extreme efficiency and the Sai quickly found himself deposited into his barracks with little sympathy from his colleagues.

Wiping the blood from his exposed back he noted that he'd need to see the root medic in the morning

Failing a mission was unlike him. However, he still felt he'd made the right decision in not arising the suspicion of the Yamanaka heir. It definitely had nothing to do with her blue eyes and aesthetically pleasing build.

Reaching for his sketchbook he began to draw the curious curves of Ino Yamanaka.

 **NEJI**

He knew they were in trouble when he woke to find the nude form of Ayaka lying next to him. Activating his Byakugan he cringed spying Hiashi's office occupied by both the Nara clan head and his wife. Hiashi himself was present looking particularly grim as Ko Hyuuga spoke. Accepting the inevitable he got out of bed, eyeing the scattered remains of their attire. For him, it would serve no problem but for Ayaka things may get awkward.

He wasn't surprised at all by last night's antics. He already had felt like fate was pushing him towards her and he wasn't certain he wanted to resist. Still he wondered if she had her regrets.

Picking up the remains of what was once a kimono, and examining it he cringed at the realization that the garment was beyond salvaging.

 _"Is that my Kimono?"_ the threatening voice of Ayaka was laced with annoyance as she sat up in bed, the white sheets clinging to her form in a way that gave Neji flashbacks of their night-time activities.

"I'll give you one." He assured her, walking towards the rarely opened chest in his room. Pulling out a pale silver kimono with blue finishes, he handed it to her cringing at the smell the aged material gave off.

"You keep woman's kimonos?" She inquired whilst accepting the expensive garment. Eyes lighting up as she approved of the design. Then narrowing her eyes at the Hyuuga clan symbol on the back.

"It was my mother's. I feel like you should wear it, to placate our uncles and your aunt." Neji said dryly before continuing, "Without doubt they haven summoned us yet as they want to give us time to be presentable to meet our fates." He turned from her, walking towards his private shower, hoping to wash of the scent of last night's activities before facing his uncle.

Letting the warm water wash over him, he was surprised but not at all disappointed when Ayaka snuck in herself slipping her arms around him with the stealth only an ANBU could muster. She murmured that they were already waiting for them anyway.

Neji wasn't sure what possessed him to do it. He knew Hiashi would be upset. The elders would be furious. He didn't even want to worry about what Shikamaru's parents would think as his lips met her neck. Her moan drove him on as he marked her, then claimed her lips and then yanked her thighs apart, his body already flush against hers. Problems temporarily forgotten when crimson eyes met lilac he felt the tremor in her breath as he murmured exactly what he wanted to do to her. She smirked in that infuriating way, and Neji didn't hesitate anymore, completely uncaring for the moment who heard the moans of Ayaka Nara.


	11. A motivated Nara

**{ AN: Sorry if there are spelling?grammar? errors. This is a long chapter}**

 **DANZO**

He couldn't believe his agents continuous failure to incapacitate or kill the damned Nara girl. He ought to have found a way to stick her with a seal when she'd still been doing his bidding. His reluctance to brand an ANBU agent of her nature, one so loyal to her hokage and the jounin commander had been a huge miscalculation. However he had no idea the influence of a mere seduction agent would grow to this extent. In fact, with the missions he'd assigned her she shouldn't be alive. It was illogical really, he'd been banking on her death as a mission collateral. One he'd easily be able to hide, midst claims of it being a confidential mission.

The Nara girl was quickly turning into a nuisance. It was always annoying that she held the favour of the Nara head, his shrew of a wife and their genius son, which had prevented him from pulling her into ROOT as an orphan. Her mother's younger sister, the Yuuhi woman, was an influential jounin of the leaf, with an absurd amount of sway with Sarutobi's youngest. Further she was close friends with both the Inuzuka mutts, and had been on a team with one of the Cryptology department's best. Inoichi's daughter, the future Yamanaka head, was her protégé giving her ample standing in social circles among the lower clans.

However all of these clans had poor political standing in the Leaf despite their servitude towards the village, so he'd not been wary of sending her on yet another suicide mission towards Orochimaru's blasted warden. What he'd not been wagering on was her surviving and claiming the attention of a noble clan. He was already on thin ice with the Aburame, for laying eyes on the heir. Torune was a fair compromise, but it was unfortunate he was under the Aburame's scrutiny. While the Uchiha were currently not a problem, he'd avoided conflict between the Hyuuga and Akamichi the best he could, stealing only the bastard children of ninja whom had no idea of their parenthood.

Now with Ayaka potentially marrying into a noble clan, things were looking bleak. Although no official announcements had been made, a few of his spies had noted that the Nara and Hyuuga heads were in the midst of negotiations. If Ayaka were to become a Hyuuga by marriage it would mean an end to his direct pursuits on her life. A kunoichi of such political standing was difficult to kill under normal circumstances, but as a member of the Hyuuga? It was impossible. She'd surely be permanently removed from the ANBU roster and with the Akatsuki being as active as they were now, it would be a matter of time before she revealed one of her unsanctioned missions. Tsunade was not as sentimental as Hiruzen had been. The moment the fifth hokage got any real evidence of ROOT, Danzo would need to flee.

Luckily, the Hyuuga were a bloodthirsty bunch of traditionalists. Ayaka was bound to have offended the likes of several elders with her antics around the clan's prodigy they'd probably wanted to pair with one of their heiresses. Perhaps, he mused, the clan's bloodthirsty elders might do his job for him. If not, Neji Hyuuga had been well known for his display of cruelty in the Genin exams. Perhaps, there would be an opportunity to frame the young Hyuuga for the Nara's death.

 **AYAKA**

Despite their pleasant stalling in the shower, Ayaka was well aware she was about to face down the Hyuuga head, the Jounin commander, and worst of all the wrath of Yoshino. Although she would wager Yoshino would likely only let loose on her in private. The odds had never been in her favour however she wasn't going in alone. Neji might be a stick in the mud with a serious obsession about fate but by presenting his mother's kimono to her, he'd openly dared the Hyuuga to challenge his choice of fiancee. The gesture symbolically laying claim to the red eyed Nara in a way that almost made her smirk.

Still as Ayaka dressed she accented her look, tying her headband to her arm, picking up her katana and helping herself to Neji's stash of weaponry. He had a fair collection, no doubt the influence of Tenten, and Ayaka couldn't help but gleefully pocket Kunai, explosive tags, shiruken and ninja wire. She stole a pair of bandages, looping the wire against them onto her arms. She channeled raw chakra to her skin preventing them from cutting into her as she admired her look in the mirror.

Neji who'd already gotten dressed eyed her warily as she slipped a dozen senbon into the pouch fastened to her right thigh. She'd already hidden the tags in her sleeves and the kunai and shiruken in the folds of her kimono. Neji's mother had clearly been a kunoichi, the kimono was filled with pockets and seams making her task of carrying an armory with her much easier.

"Are you planning to go to war on your uncle or mine _, hime_?" he asked sarcastically as she fastened her katana to her side. Ayaka shot him a serious look, noting that Neji was entirely unarmed save for a few kunai. She supposed with his gentle fist the Hyuuga prodigy was always armed, however Ayaka knew in her experience as a jounin that one should never rely solely on one's signature moves.

She snorted at Neji motioning that she was ready to leave the safety of his bedroom. Leaning towards the Hyuuga, she smiled as he stiffened.

"Perhaps I'm going to take them all on, _Hyuuga sama_."

 **YOSHINO**

Things were uncomfortable in the Hyuuga complex. Hiashi had been quick to summon and inform them of her nieces antics when he'd discovered both his eldest and Ko, highly intoxicated trying to enter the Hyuuga gates at an absurd hour. His activated Byakugan had strayed to check on his nephew, and had surprisingly found him highly occupied with her niece.

Still Yoshino, with her quick temper had instantly demanded to know why the Hyuuga boy was taking liberties with his fiancée this early in the game. Hiashi had sputtered out that it was clearly Ayaka that was taking liberties with Neji, which Yoshino had faked complete offense to, despite knowing that Hiashi was probably right given that Ayaka wasn't one to easily seduce and that Neji wouldn't have stood a chance against her whims.

Shikaku had barely diffused the situation, stating that he'd seen the pair earlier the previous day. He'd informed a grim faced Hiashi that he'd left Ayaka in Neji's care and that the former seduction agent had been highly upset. Given that Hiashi now had to accept that Ayaka had every reason to be in his nephew's company, Yoshino was questioning why the two had chosen the Hyuuga compound to return to when they'd surely be spotted in their promiscuity.

Was it mere teenage rebellion? She doubted it. Ayaka was accepting the marriage, surely, with her antics last night and yet she'd done it in a means neither clan would have approved of. A power play, perhaps? Shikaku had said she'd been rather upset. As she pondered it, her thoughts were interrupted by the approaching chakra that was pulsing heavily. Reserves like Ayaka's were rare for women, and the girl was advertising that she was no mere pushover to either clan by announcing her presence with her vibrant chakra. It was a pity her injuries would dampen her range of ninjutsu usage to whatever she could manage with one hand.

Comparatively, Neji's chakra, also unmasked was constant and unchanging. In a contrast to Ayaka's vibrancy, it was cool and calming. They were an odd pairing Yoshino mused as the door opened, and her jaw dropped as Ayaka walked in, Neji trailing a few steps behind her niece.

Dressed fully in one of the most regal battle Kimono's Yoshino had seen in a long while, Ayaka looked like a princess ready to go to war. The Hyuuga symbol on her back and leaf headband on her arm clearly displayed on her arm, Yoshino couldn't help the small swell of pride she had in the younger woman. It was not every shinobi that could exude confidence like the couple in front of them.

Ayaka looked ready to go to battle should anyone dare question her actions and Neji gazed at the room coolly. His body angled in such a way that he'd be able to protect her niece should anyone dare to attack her. Hiashi looked offended and Ko had backed off into a corner. Shikaku was avoiding eye contact with everyone. Yoshino sighed loudly, gaining the attention of the room.

"You two are troublesome, "She murmured, stealing her son's favored word.

 **NEJI**

"You two are troublesome. "

Yoshino's words broke the silence, and suddenly everyone was yelling. Hiashi was on his feet arguing with Yoshino about Neji's virtue, much to his mild mortification. Yoshino had snapped back that they were engaged anyway so the Hyuuga head should just get over it. The two glared at each other before turning towards Ko. Ko, for his part was overwhelmed by the two people yelling insults at each other, yet directing them towards him as if he were to mediate the verbal spar settle into the gentle fist style warily. Uncertain if Hiashi had lost his mind, it seemed Ko was prepping to intervene if things got physical.

Then Shikaku told Ayaka he was disappointed in her and Ayaka had erupted in undiluted rage. Now they were all watching as the two Nara jounin argued.

"I chose him!" Ayaka snapped, glaring at Shikaku.

"You could have acted like an adult and waited, child." Shikaku couldn't keep the exasperated tone out of his voice as he stepped towards her.

"I'm not a child old man. You know that!" Aykae stepped forward, her hand twitching towards her Katana.

"Someone is trying to kill you. You shouldn't be fornicating with your guard, fiancée to be or not." Shikaku closed his eyes now, clearly anticipating the response he would get.

"I am a capable kunoichi." The words left Ayaka's lips quietly, as she strolled towards Shikaku. Neji was transfixed on the sway of her hips and the way she'd suddenly had every shinobi in the room silent.

"I am not a child, Shikaku. Sooner or later you have to realize it. Shikamaru's a genius, but right now he can't lead the Nara. He feels too deeply and does not act in the name of the clan. He loves a Suna princess. Look me in the eye and tell me I am not the current heir to the Nara Clan." Ayaka's vermilion eyes were ablaze and Shikaku was visibly pained. Yoshino looked severely sullen. Neji was surprised, he'd known that Shikamaru's infatuation with Temari would have severe implications he was only just understanding why Ayaka had thrown the fact in Shikaku's face the previous day.

The Nara were loyal to the Leaf. To accept an outside princess would make Shikamaru's claim as an heir illegitimate. Temari outranked him severely, first as a jounin, and then politically as both a daughter and a sister to two Kage. Politically, if Shikamaru wouldn't cease his relationship with the Suna princess it would be a nightmare for Yoshino and Shikaku without a spare heir.

To his surprise, it was not Shikaku who spoke but Hiashi.

"You'll be a Hyuuga when you marry, you won't be a Nara." Hiashi's voice interjected with confidence and suddenly Shikaku let out a laugh.

"She outranks your nephew if I name her heir, Hiashi. Neji would be a Nara, as would their children." Shikaku glared at the Hyuuga head who immediately sputtered about how he'd never allow it angrily and that Shikaku would never name Ayaka his heir over his son unless she defeated him in battle.

Suddenly Neji's head was spinning as he realized what Shikaku had meant. If he was adopted into the Nara, his curse seal could not be utilized by the Hyuuga clan without legal recourse been taken. Further, his potential children, should they inherit the Byakugan would be Nara by birth right. They wouldn't be subjected to the seal. He almost didn't hear Yoshino as she murmured words that suddenly left the room icy.

"She would need to prove herself in combat Shikaku against you and perhaps Shikamaru should he oppose her. She issued a claim to lead, as is the right of any jounin of the Nara."

The two Nara Jounin glared at each other. Each stood tall, on guard and ready to fight. Suddenly Neji realized why Ayaka had stocked up on weaponry. She was still injured, and although it didn't significantly affect her fighting style she was challenging not just her clan head but the Jounin commander.

Shikaku was a man that had lived, breathed and survived battle. His scars were memoirs to battles won. He didn't lack experience on a battle field despite his reputation as a tactician. He was a formidable foe to any man, a legend of two shinobi wars and a third of the legendary Ino-Shika-cho. His father had told him, when he'd been a child, of how Shikaku could read the flow of battle and predict strategies for against entire platoons. Many a man had fallen victim to his honed battlefield tactics.

Yet, Ayaka was clearly not a man. She was fire and passion and full of the youth Gai sensei would often brag about. She used her entire body as an arsenal, avoided predictability and was quite obviously a heavy hitter in her fighting style. She had experience in the depths of ANBU and was well on her way towards making a name for herself. Unlike Shikaku she was well equipped to take on a battlefield without a team. Oh, she was definitely a Nara with her strategic move at arming herself this morning. Neji's father had thought him many things in his youth. One phrase, casually stated in battle tales stood out to him.

"Never underestimate a motivated Nara."

Neji shuddered at the reality that there were two highly motivated Nara, in front of him.


	12. The unfortunate life of Ko

**KIBA**

There were a lot of things Kiba was expecting within the realm of reasonable assumption when he woke on Shiho's couch in the morning. What he'd not been anticipating was waking to an empty apartment, with a cold plate of breakfast left on the coffee table and a hastily scrawled note from his vanished fiancée.

 _Kiba,_

 _I left you some breakfast. I fed Akamaru before I left. The hokage's summoned me. The cryptology departments in mid crisis. Nobody came to work today._

 _If you happen to see Shika tell him I will shave off his ridiculous hair if he doesn't come in today._

 _Shiho_

Kiba blinked sleep out of his eyes as he noted that Akamuru was with him on the couch. He tried not to dwell on the fact that Shiho had managed sneak out without him noticing. He often forgot the little bookworm was a ninja too. Digging into his breakfast he supposed he'd swing by the Nara's to check up on Shikamaru as a thanks for letting him stay the night. He blushed when he'd realised the implications of him staying over.

Sure, Shikamaru was probably intuitive enough to not make a big deal of it. He was with the Kazekage's sister after all. If anyone was going to understand discretion it would be the Nara heir. Hana and his mother on the other hand would be insufferable. As for Ayaka she would probably tease him mercilessly if she even noticed.

He scowled at the thought of Ayaka. She and Neji clearly had something going on. At first, he'd dismissed their relationship as a consequence of Neji's rescue and rumours of a potential arranged marriage. Neither party was likely to object to an arranged marriage. Neji was a sucker for tradition and while Ayaka wasn't one to just obey, he knew the girl would do anything for the sake of her village and followed orders diligently. Frankly, for the sake of politics, he didn't doubt that Ayaka would marry the Hyuuga. Neji was attractive atleast and they wasn't a huge age gap. It would be practical.

Neji and Ayaka weren't the types to fall in love easily. In fact, Kiba wagered from all the ninja he knew they were the kind that could easily betray a lover in the name of their Kage for Ayaka or his clan for Neji. Neji was a deadly fighter committed to changing his clan by any means necessary. A picture of a broken Hinata flashed through Kiba's mind as he resisted the urge to snarl. There was a time Kiba knew, if it would aid the branch family, Hinata would have surely be dead by now. Thankfully he'd grown out of his homicidal tendencies.

As for Ayaka, she manipulated people with ease. It wasn't surprising that she was a master if seduction. He couldn't remember a time when the girl had ever shown interest beyond that of a fling in another man. There was something clinical about the way she brushed off foolish ideologies like love, yet still managed to have the charisma to sway a room and tempt those in it. It was like watching a wolf play amongst the sheep.

For some reason, the thought of Itachi Uchiha flashed through his mind, but Kiba shook of the notion. Ayaka wasn't that bad and she wasn't that far gone in her quest for power. She wouldn't massacre an entire clan on a whim. Neither would Neji. Well, not anymore at least. There was a time he'd been convinced Neji was the second coming of Itachi Uchiha.

Were they in lust? Surely it couldn't be love. They simply weren't the kind to prioritise such a fickle emotion. In fact, they'd be the least likely people to be swayed by it. He thought of Shiho and wondered if she believed in love. Unlikely, if she'd be willing to help him out. Frowning Kiba wondered why it bothered him. Did he even believe in love?

This stupid marriage nonsense was messing with his head. Breakfast forgotten, he shook awake Akamauru and headed out. He shouldn't have stayed the night, not when it resulted in a confusing series of thoughts surrounding both Shiho and Ayaka. Shiho was so endearingly strange and Ayaka so captivatingly untouchable to him. Locking Shiho's apartment he cringed at the squalor of the red light district and startled Akamaru by taking of full speed.

He'd question his sister about Shiho's living situation later. He vaguely remembered that his sister once said Shiho had been sponsored as a shinobi just like Naruto had been. He wondered why the hokage had a child kunoichi to grow up in Konoha's underbelly.

 **SAI**

To his annoyance, the primary ROOT medic was already deployed on a mission and his raw back still ached terribly. Reasoning that Danzo would not want his tool to die from infection without completing his mission, he'd opted to go to Konoha's general hospital. Usually ROOT members avoided the hospital, since Tsunade had always kept them under her watchful eyes however he was still a ninja of Konoha to the outside world and would blame his injuries on some kind of mission gone wrong. He didn't think anything could go wrong.

His desire for immediate medical treatment had absolutely nothing to do with the blonde heiress he knew had a shift today and everything to do.

 **KO**

His life was a mess. Not only, had he blacked out the night before, he'd been in the company of his own heiress! After assuring the Aburame boy he'd get Hinata home, he'd tried to carry the girl off in his drunken state. Falling over, it had woke Hinata and who'd insisted she'd carry him home instead with drunken determination. Unable to deny her and hurt her feelings he'd consented. Which was why the clan head had found him being carried in bridal style into the compound, much to his mortification. Hinata had promptly dropped him with a surprised squeak and they'd both warily eyed Hiashi, sobering immediately at the sight of danger like true Konoha ninja. Then to make matters worse the clan head, Byakugan active, had spotted his nephew fornicating with the Nara girl midst grilling Ko's drunken self.

Ko had thought the Hiashi had finally lost it when he'd dropped to his knees and immediately began to claw at his eyes. Alarmed, he'd activated his Byakugan and choked on nothing as Hinata ran to aid her father in panic. He felt a sharp pang of envy towards Neji as he respectfully deactivated his Byakugan. The damned Nara girl sure was a looker. As hot as Anko but instead of just sheer sexuality, Ayaka held a hint of the same classic beauty that Kurenai had. Some men had all the luck.

Hiashi had barked orders at him to retrieve that damned Nara woman to get her spawn and he'd run off immediately to the Nara compound. Unfortunately, Shikaku Nara had been less than impressed by a drunken Shinobi showing up and demanding that his wife returned with him to the Hyuuga compound. Without doubt, the Nara head would have dealt him a certain death blow had he not been protecting his unconscious son from the wrath of said damned Nara woman.

Yoshino had been even less impressed by him.

Hastily explaining the situation before his life was indeed forfeit, he'd convinced the Nara's to accompany him back to the compound. They'd made him carry the unconscious brat to his room first though and Ko swore the stain on his shirt was the brats drool. First Neji, the clans resident pretty boy, gets one of the baddest ANBU bitches as a fiancee and then the lazy ass child heir of the Nara is rumored to be banging Suna's princess. Seriously, the gods were not playing fair here.

When he got downstairs the pair were arguing about their son's antics and ignored his presence for over an hour until he quite loudly voiced that he was not below summoning the Nara clan elders should they not comply with Hiashi's whims. It earned him a growl from Shikaku and a snarl from his wife but they'd halted their argument at the very least.

Once the Nara's were at the compound, he'd lead them straight to Hiashi. An awkward silence had a fell upon the group until the Nara woman had told them to summon her niece. Ko had activated his Byakugan, seen that the Nara girl and Neji were engaged in the shower and immediately deactivated them staying rooted to the spot he was in. When he described said predicament, he vaguely noted Hiashi pouring himself and Shikaku some sake whilst the Nara woman launched into a fiery tirade again.

When Neji had eventually shown himself with the Nara girl in tow it took Ko every ounce of self-control not to eye her curves. Instead he retreated, imagining the elder council naked as he tuned out the room. Suddenly everyone was yelling. Hiashi and the harpy woman were facing him while snarling insults faster than his tired and hungover brain could comprehend. He eyed them warily and wondered if he were to stab either one of them, if it would be considered self-defence. Ayaka and her uncle were also arguing, thankfully ignoring him, while Neji, the lucky bastard, just stood there looking pretty.

Tuning everyone out and backing off warily once they grew more interested in Ayaka and Shikaku, he spotted the messenger hawk at the window. His name was on the scroll! A summons was exactly what he needed to escape this messed up situation. Uncaring about what exactly the Nara girl had said to have both clan heads glaring at her in fury, while Neji smiled stupidly at her and had the Nara matriarch simply shrugging coolly, he'd excused himself. Not that anyone had noticed but at least he wasn't rude! Reading the summons he was unsurprised to be ordered to go to the Hokage's assistant. It was a clerical mission then. Not unheard off, but unusual for him. He was typically assigned as a body guard but he was grateful for the escape. He could finish it quickly and go home, get rest and forget about this day.

Escape had never seemed so sweet as he made it to the hokage tower in record time.

However to his complete shock, it wasn't a mission that Shizune greeted him with but a swift kick to the groin. He stared at her in complete agony, as she raved at him throwing a copy of the _Konoha times_ at him. Ko stared wide eyed at the front page as he saw the image that had undoubtedly caused Shizune's wrath.

A red faced Shizune squirming on Ko's lap as he murmured dirty things in her ear. It probably wouldn't have been that bad, if the Hokage herself wasn't in the picture, glass of sake in one hand the other fisted in Ko's hair and her tongue in his ear. The headline was worse _Hokage and Assistant seduced by ambitious Hyuuga branch member._

Suddenly the fear of imminent death overcame his crippling injury as he fled for his life ignoring Shizune's yells. Shizune was angry yes, but she was nothing in comparison to the shear undiluted fear that ran through his spine when he realised what his hokage would do to him when she say the image. Thank kami his clan would be preoccupied by Neji's antics and Hinata's drunken arrival to pay him any attention yet. However, when they did see it... Ko shuddered. The clan would surely sacrifice him to Tsunade...

Ko suddenly was seeing the appeal of becoming a missing ninja. Surely the crippling pain of the caged bird seal was nothing in comparison to Tsunade torturing him to death.


	13. You don't have to stay

**TSUNADE**

Contrary to popular belief, Tsunade was quite amused by the headlines of the day and the way they had infuriated the elder council. That would show that pervert Jiraiya who would be on his way back to the Leaf sometime soon, Naruto in tow. Besides, who was she to deny Shizune her just revenge on the young Hyuuga. It was awfully cute to see Dan's niece all grown up and actively traumatising men. She had trained her former apprentice well in the end it seemed.

After calling in Ino and Shiho, and severely reprimanding the pair for the fact that less than half the available shinobi force had reported in for the day, she'd sent both girls off. Ino was sent to the hospital and Shiho off to get the cryptology department running again. It wasn't often she dealt directly with the cryptology department, but with Shizune plotting Ko's demise she saw it fit to handle Shiho.

She was an odd kunoichi that one. Intelligent, yet with enough strange quirks, enough to remind her of a certain former teammate of hers. The girl had large Chakra reserves for a chuunin but clearly wasn't interested in vying for a jonin position, preferring seal work in the cryptology department. Still when she'd seen the pile of late paperwork on her desk she'd dared to glare at her very own Kage with disapproval that had only disappeared when Ino had dropped the Kiba bomb. She'd sent the girls off, biting back a smile at their tenacity.

It would be a relatively peaceful morning until the Nara's arrived, Neji following behind the family like a shadow.

She had been remarkably unsurprised by the proposed fight between Shikaku and Ayaka. It had been a long time coming, with Shikaku actively underestimating the young woman at every step of her journey. The poor man was going to be reminded that pretty things were fierce too. Since he'd surely forgotten how promising a kunoichi Yoshino, Ayaka's most consistent teacher had been in her day. It was hardly surprising though, the girl had spent years in ANBU, honing her skills away from watchful eyes and Shikaku probably hadn't kept an eye on her outside of keeping her away from the Assassination department after her astounding success as a hunter ninja. Privately she agreed, Ayaka was too multifacitated and charismatic to be wasted in an Assassination squad.

Shikaku, like most men, failed to realise that seduction was just as dangerous a field, requiring a honed set of skills. If Tsunade didn't already have an inkling of whom was trying to kill the woman, she'd have easily attributed it to one of the many enemies the former ANBU Spider had earned in her days of service. The fact that Ayaka had only avoided featuring in Bingo books until very recently was a testimony to the girls skill itself.

Checking on Ayaka's arm and eying her latest kimono knowingly she sighed granting her permission for the inevitable spar from occurring but stressing that Shikamaru would not under any circumstances be facing off against either jounin until he himself was of equal status. Rightful heir or not, that boy had to prove he was taking things seriously. Shikamaru just lacked the motivation to pursue being a Jonin.

Neji had then confirmed that his and Ayaka's engagement would be hitting the tabloids within a day, not that Ayaka's outfit hadn't already announced things already. She was about to let them go when she paused, commanding the family and Hyuuga prodigy to halt.

"Ayaka, I hope you aren't acting out because Shikaku had requested you be kept away from assassination missions once you joined the seduction department. You were awfully young for the kill count you had. The last thing anyone wanted was another Kakashi Hatake or Itachi Uchiha." She looked at the girl intently, expecting anger at the revelation. Indeed, Shikaku looked rather betrayed and Yoshino was glaring at her husband with a rare display of intense distaste. Neji raised a brow but remained otherwise expressionless. Ayaka and Shikamaru on the other hand looked awfully confused, the later most likely from his hungover, although Tsunade had no idea why Ayaka seemed baffled till the red eyed girl graced her with a response.

"But hokage sama, I've never stopped with classified assassinations. There's been fewer since the Akatsuki mission but ANBU hawk does occasionally assign me one." To say the room's atmosphere changed in a heartbeat would be an understatement. Tsunade raised to her feet instantly and and Shikaku immediately paled. Yoshino seemed confused while Shikamaru frowned unhappily.

"WHAT AKATSUKI MISSION!" Tsunade bellowed, barely containing her anger as a blank masked agent burst into the room, flinging senbon at the red eyed girl. Amazingly, she deflected them easily, drawing her Katana with a shocking display of speed. Tsunade was impressed to see the way her stance changed, from casual to deadly in a mere second. Meanwhile, Neji had immediately struck out at the intruder with his gentle fist while Shikamaru bound the masked ninja. Shikaku had gone to cover his hokage while Yoshino inspected the senbon, grimly informing them they were laced with poison.

"Bring me Inoichi Yamanaka! And Ibiki!" She growled at her actual ANBU guard who'd reacted just a second too late. Shizune for her part had just entered the room, looking dumbfounded at the grouping before her.

"Tsunade sama? Surely two interrogators are a bit excessive for a single prisoner?" Shizune asked worriedly fussing over Ayaka who was reassuring the older women that she'd not been hit. Tsunade surveyed the room, grimly meeting avoiding meeting Ayaka's eyes as she spoke.

"There are two people to interrogate. Ayaka, as your Kage, I order you to submit to a mind walk."

The shock and panic that crossed Ayaka's face was surprising even for Tsunade and she wondered vaguely if she'd experienced such an interrogation before. While a mind walk, a proper one, wouldn't physically harm the girl, it was psychologically unnerving and often kept as a last resort even within the torture and interrogation department. Almost all shinobi would have some form of mental training for such interrogations and such defences were almost reflex like over time. With Ayaka's experience and field of expertise she'd without doubt been trained in such defences but she wouldn't be a match against the head of interrogation and war hero himself, Inoichi.

While the Nara girl would probably not blink at any other forms of interrogation, Tsunade was well aware that given the current circumstances it would be the only option to prevent the girl spending a lengthy trip in the torture and interrogation department. Given the fact someone seemed to be trying to kill her, Tsunade wanted her interrogation done swiftly. Keeping Ayaka in custody for a long drawn out interrogation was not an option.

To her surprise, neither Yoshino nor Shikaku reacted, without doubt realising exactly why she'd opted for the extreme. Ayaka had visibly paled and immediately began to hand over her weapons to Neji and Shikamaru for safe keeping, knowing that it was policy to be unarmed while submitting to interrogation. Tsunade had expected some words of resistance from Neji but clearly the young man didn't know of the psychological impacts the interrogation would have. Shikamaru however, had no qualms protesting having full knowledge of the danger of Yamanaka techniques, even as Ayaka shot him a pointed look to be silent. Kami, Tsunade appreciated that girl.

 **SHIKAMARU**

He couldn't understand why Ayaka was to be interrogated more severely than the lone shinobi that attacked her. Ibiki was brutal yes but one could recover from physical injury. It didn't matter that her mission assignments and reports were unlogged. Nobody in the room was naive enough to believe that all ANBU missions that were classified came directly from the hokage herself. Anyone with enough influence in the ANBU could probably assign a classified mission and they should be looking for this Hawk dude, if he even existed. Even at chuunin rank he was wary of this. The hierarchy and anonymity probably made it easy to take advantage of the ANBU system. Ayaka had clearly been surprised at Tsunade's revelation that her missions were unsanctioned but hadn't argued, probably seeing the same flaws in the ANBU system that he had. We're ANBU a law onto their own hands? Possibly, he didn't think anyone in that department would be afraid of looking underneath the underneath and doing what needs to be done even without direct orders.

Still, Ayaka didn't argue her hokage's decision and pointedly hushed him when he'd voiced his initial protest. Neji was obviously unfamiliar with mind walking and what it would entail but Shikamaru was astonished that his parents hadn't voiced any kind of resistance. He literally lost it when Ibiki dragged of the eerily silent prisoner and Ayaka began handing him and Neji the small arsenal of weapons she'd had on her person.

"You have to stop them!" He plead towards his parents. His father sighed tiredly but didn't meet his gaze. Yoshino merely hushed him, effectively dismissing the concerns of her son despite the fact he knew she hated this. Ayaka shot him a small smile then shook her head, indicating he needn't worry. The damned idiot.

He tried, he really did, but when she shakily handed over her trusted katana a part of him died. He and his cousin got along like the fire and water of their elemental affinities. However he had a great deal of respect and admiration for the girl who was literally raised in the same home as he. Ayaka was the epitome of everything he'd never spared the effort to become. He knew he was the rightful heir by birth right, but he couldn't fathom ever having the achievements to justify such a claim when she was his main competition.

They were the difference between hard work and natural born talent. Sure, she had the stereotypical higher than average IQ that most Nara did but his was near genius. Yet, he was content to just get by and take things as they came while she had always been out there learning something new, adapting and gaining experience.

She wasn't a genius like him, nor a tactician in the traditional sense but she was street smart in the kind of way he could never be. He certainly lacked her charisma and would never have the gall to bully around the elder council like she could. It was a wonder the girl had opted to challenge Shikaku for the right to be heir when he knew, with his lazy tendencies, she could probably have sweet talked the elders into it. Sure, he was great with his clan jutsu and clearly would be a master by the time he made Jounin but she was already known to be proficient to the point where his father hadn't forced any training sessions on her like he was subjected to. Not that the clan jutsu mattered to a close range heavy hitter in battle. Everything he had, from his genius to his potential to be a master in the clan jutsu and his position as heir could be attributed to the fact of chance or his birth right.

If it were him to interrogated, he would certainly have protested. He would have fought and used his status and relationship with the Yamanaka and Akamichi heirs to prevent the potential mind rape at all costs. He would have wailed and sought out his sensei, team seven and even Temari. He'd have hated his parent's for allowing such an atrocity and demanded the elders interfere. That was when Shikamaru came to realisation that his father was wrong. The red eyed girl dressed like a royal standing obediently before her hokage and gazing at him with concern, about to be violated in a means that was considered too extreme for anyone but the most stubborn of prisoners was the best heir for the Nara right now. There was no way he would ever submit to anyone, even his hokage so willingly, not even for the sake of the Leaf. Not as he was now. He'd often judged Sasuke for his lack of loyalty to the village but now glancing at Ayaka he realized how sickening absolute loyalty was.

When Inoichi Yamanaka walked into the room he let out a choking sound, but stayed rooted to his position, hand clenched around the blade entrusted to him. He locked eyes with his cousin pleadingly and she halted Inoichi and the hokage's conversation despite it being rude to do so. To his surprise instead of scolding him, his cousin hugged him gentler than she had in years, soothing his frazzled nerves although not completely mending his distress.

"You don't have to stay." The soft assurance was all he needed as he shoved the weapons he held to a startled Neji and left the room running. He didn't forget to shoot a hateful glare at his parents, both of whom seemed relieved about his exit. Shizune gasped in surprise as he raced past her, knocking over her papers.

"Go with him." He heard his father instruct someone, probably his wife or Neji, as he raced away fully intent on getting as far away as possible from what he knew was about to occur.

And possibly to get help.


	14. The randomness of a betrothal

**[AN: While i am trying to stay mostly canon compliant, I've decided to age up everyone. So instead of Naruto being away for 3 years its been 5. Thus everyone is more 'adult' with more significant clan expectations on them.]**

 **By this logic,**

 **Sai, Neji, Tenten and Lee are 18.**

 **Kankuro, Ayaka and Shiho are 19.**

 **Temari is 20.**

 **Hana is 21.**

 **All members of the rookie 9 and Gaara are 17.**

 **INO**

While getting in trouble with Tsunade was not the way she'd wanted to start her day, she conceded that it was worth it. If not, because it had been a while since they'd celebrated anything since the fateful chuunin exams when she was a fresh faced genin infatuated with the young Uchiha, than at least for that raven haired shinobi that had made her a mess before vanishing. She really ought to have gotten his name but liquor and lust had a tendency to cloud ones judgement. She made a mental note to ask around about him.

She'd parted with Shiho and made her way to the hospital, ready to take up her shift on ER duty after grilling the girl about Kiba taking her home. Tsunade's lecture was awfully light on them, but considering the Hokage herself had been indulging in the festivities, it would have been hypocritical to do so. Always a fan of gossip, Tsunade had been surprised to hear Kiba had actually spent the night at Shiho's, even if it was on the head cryptologists couch. The hokage had laughed at that and sent them on their way without much fuss.

It had surprised her that the girl lived in the red light district, but then again, Ino had never had to worry about rent, being from a clan. Sakura, her closest civilian friend, came from a middle class merchant family and hadn't yet moved out, although she supposed that Sakura would need to eventually. The girl was almost Jonin level in strength alone and Jonin didn't live with civilians.

Shiho had assured her that even the scum that frequented the red light district knew to leave shinobi alone, even paper pushers like her. Ino had nodded in agreement because Shiho, despite being a bookworm was terrifying when it came to paperwork. She frowned at the idea of the blonde living in squalor but let the girl wonder off, knowing it wasn't her business at the end of the day.

The hospital was fairly quiet. She'd seen a patient with a mild case of food poisoning and had healed some genin that had been a little too over enthusiastic at shiruken practice. After giving a stern lecture to the genin to practice with supervision, she turned to face her next patient and stifled a surprised squeak.

There sitting on the bed was her raven haired mystery man and better he lacked a shirt! She was about to saunter over and use the full set of seduction skills she'd observed over the years from her senpai, when the pale ninja shifted slightly in discomfort. She caught a glimpse at the man's back with a slight gasp and rushed towards him, thoughts about flirting temporarily forgotten.

He certainly hadn't had these the night before. Skilfully knotting the lacerations together and asking the relevant questions to which the shinobi replied with increasingly vague replies, she grew frustrated. Even ANBU hadn't been assigned missions with cryptology being in a state of chaos this morning. Which meant that unless the ninja in front of her was apprenticing the torture and intelligence department for 'resistance training' in preparation for being in a hostile environment with sensitive information, he'd been whipped severely the night before for no excusable reason. She hadn't heard that her father required any new shinobi. As it was, having Inoichi, Ibiki and Anko in the same department was excessive really.

Ino Yamanaka was a lot of things and one of those things was meddlesome. Regardless of confidentiality agreement she abided to as a healer she would be investigating the lashes on her patients back.

 **KIBA**

He scented Shikamaru in the direction of the hokage tower and opted to abandon his mission of seeking him out. Surely, if he was in the presence of Tsunade she'd ensure that he reported in for work if he wasn't going on a mission.

Uncertain of what he ought to be doing, he pondered his options. Hanging out with his team was a possibility but he assumed both Shino and Hinata would have run into trouble with their respective clans due to last night's shenanigans. He could go see if his sensei felt like training but he did not want to accidentally walk in on her and Asuma sensei playing house. The last time he'd only been saved by his keen sense of smell alerting to him what his sensei had been up to. He shuddered to think what cruel genjutsu Kurenai may trap him in if he'd actually caught her in the act or worse. His sensei had been awfully moody of late and he would hope not to to risk her wrath this early in the day.

Hesitantly he began walking off to the Inuzuka compound, uncertain if dealing with family was what he truly wanted right now but not really knowing what to do with himself otherwise.

"We're home!" He yelled, not really expecting an answer. As far as he knew his mother had clan duties to attend to and his sister ought to be too hungover to be up. To his surprise though, a wary looking Hana was busy in the kitchen making coffee, her ninken dozing at the kitchen table. Akamaru bounded up the stairs towards his room and Kiba was about join his companion when he realised this was probably the most privacy he would ever get with Hana. Pausing, he turned around and leaned against the counter trying to figure out what it was he wanted to say.

"So did you and Shiho actually do the deed last night?" Hana asked groggily as she sipped her coffee. Kiba sputtered, and glared at his sister frostily.

"Of course not! She's not like that! I just stayed the night on the couch!" Hana chuckled but nodded in agreement at his words, apparently all too aware that Kiba wasn't yet a threat to her teammate's chastity. Kiba wished he could retaliate but as a rule, Hana never dated and such there was nobody to tease her about.

"Hana? Could you tell me more about Shiho?" Kiba asked, deciding it best to just be as direct as possible. Hana glanced up in surprise before frowning.

"It depends on what you want to know really. Shiho's actually a pretty complicated type of person." Hana motioned him to take a seat in front of her, apparently intrigued that her brother wanted to know more.

"Why's she staying in the red light district? Is she really just a paper ninja? Where are her family? Why is she marrying me?" He looked at the table grimly as Hana sighed next to him, pondering how to answer his questions.

"Well, Shihos' always lived there. I haven't asked but I guess her mother was a lady at one of the tea houses. I can't say Shiho's got any family really, her mother was one of the civilian casualties of the invasion. She was pretty close with the old man, Sarutobi though. Bawled her eyes out at his funeral just after her mothers."

Kiba nodded, processing the information. Thankfully the Inuzuka weren't a clan that really cared about peoples backgrounds that much. Shiho's mother's occupation wouldn't have gone done well with one of the noble clans. He found himself unhappy to know she was alone in the world but he guessed it had been years since the invasion and Shiho had probably stopped grieving. He'd been fond of Hiruzen Sarutobi too, it was a pity the world didn't let the man retire in peace.

"As for if she's a paper ninja, I guess you could call her that. She did apprentice torture and interrogation for a while but she's unlikely to swop departments. She's got the ability to do alright in the field I suppose, but no real interest with Ayaka, herself and me already in such specialized fields."

Hana downed her coffee, which was apparently finally cool enough for her to do so, and stood flipping her signature ponytail as she stood. Then she glared at her brother, face fiercer than he'd seen in a long while.

"As for why you have to marry her, I suppose it is an interesting question indeed. Why does the spare need a bride whilst the supposed heir is allowed roam free?"

With that Hana left him, heading to get ready for the day. The severity final words struck Kiba as odd. It was unusual that Tsume was pressuring him into marriage when Hana should be priority. If it weren't for both the supposed clan custom and Ayaka's meddling that had landed him in this mess he'd definitely question his mother's intentions.

It didn't make sense for Tsume to name him heir instead of Hana. Hana had three ninken, a feat unheard of before her. She was also a jonin whilst he was a mere chunin. His fiancée had little, if not no political standing when it came to the clan. Unless he and the clanless Shino were to produce an Inuzuka child that his mother may consider more worthy, he saw no real benefits to marry him off.

Yet, Hana was primarily a medic. In a combat orientated clan like his, straying from the norm was unusual. He vaguely remembered his clan elder's been unhappy that Hana, with all her promise had opted to apprentice as a medic before getting a genin team. He was pretty sure Hana would probably kill a potential spouse too. His sister wasn't one to date, nevermind court. He, like most Inuzuka were taking the more traditional route, specializing in tracking, short ranged combat and ending things off in an arranged marriage. Could the elder's want him to upstage Hana as an heir? Was his mother trying to prevent this by marrying him off to Shiho? Or worse had his mother decided neither of her children were worthy and was hoping her potential grandchildren would fare better? What did Hana know?

Sighing as he slumped into his chair, he wondered how Hinata and Neji handled clan politics. Even if the Inuzuka were less than traditional, he was not naive enough to assume that politics hadn't played a role in Tsume's sudden desire to see her youngest wed despite the randomness of his betrothal.

What exactly was he getting himself into?

And more importantly, how was he gonna get Shiho out of this mess.


	15. Kill me already, priest girl

**AN [From this point on,**

 **BOLD- Author's note or character of the section**

 ** _ITALIC - Flashback or emphasis.]_**

 **AYAKA**

 _Ayaka was bowing to the ANBU she'd come to know as Hawk before her. Hawk had immense power amongst the ANBU, able to request her for missions over and beyond what her ANBU captain gave out. Hawk had long since been encouraging her to abandon the head hunter department despite her success in the field, although she questioned whether or not ANBU Hawk was happy with her placement in the seduction department by her late Hokage. With Sarutobi gone, she'd remain in seduction unless the new Hokage felt the urge to change her department._ _Tsunade seemed content with it though and wished her luck for her 8 month training program, much like Yoshino had. Of course, Yoshino probably had no idea which department of ANBU she would be in yet. Hopefully she would be away when that happened._

 _Hawk often sought her out and Ayaka was proud of it. Perhaps hawk knew that her days as a hunter ninja had honed her skills in assassinating her fellow ninja. What was seduction if not another tool of the trade?_

 _She listened to her new orders with surprise. Hawk wanted her to find the Itachi Uchiha, and gather Intel on what his intentions were towards the Leaf given his intrusion after the invasion which had left three elite Leaf Jounin injured prior to his younger brothers decision to abandon the village in a pursuit of vengeance. ANBU Hawk hadn't instructed the means by which she would pull off such a feat but had left her with a folder of information for her to read and destroy once she'd decided her best course of action. She would implicitly never utter a word of its contents even under torture._

 _She flipped to the folder she'd been given of Itachi's known associates. She wasn't surprised to see Kisame Hoshigaki listed as Itachi's primary companion, but bit her lip as she contemplated approaching the pair. Neither were likely to fall for any of her schemes easily and while she was excellent with a sword, both S class ninja were without a doubt the superior swordsmen. She didn't fancy her chances of getting away should whatever ploy she tried go awry._

 _Deidara Iwa was also an S class missing ninja, the disowned grandson of the Tsuchikage with an obsession with his art. The blonde was gorgeous for a male and it almost made her jealous. The file went onto note that while Deidara was an associate of Itachi, he was currently training himself to defeat the Uchiha's dojutsu abilities. Whilst Deidara's youth might make him an easy target for her to seduce, his temperament was volatile and his rumoured partner, according to the file was the legendary puppet master Sasori of the Red Sand. The rumored dead grandson of one of Suna's honored siblings was rumored to be a master poison maker too. If it were Deidara alone she had to approach, she may have taken the risk but Sasori had decades of experience and was known to be ruthless when his solitude was threatened. Additionally, both men were long ranged fighters and if things went wrong there would be little chance she could escape._

 _Feeling slightly pessimistic she came across the profile of Kakuzu. At first glance Kakuzu wasn't an ideal candidate. Not only was he rumoured to be immortal, the man had faced off with Hashirama Senju and survived. Still, he was rumoured to be a bounty hunter and her hunter ninja background may just help her gain the missing ninja's attention if she played her cards right. Kakuzu wouldn't go out of his way to kill her if she wasn't a worthy bounty herself._

 _His partner, the lone priest of some homicidal cult was also a promising prospect. When it came to seduction, men of the cloth were notoriously easy targets. According to the file, the former Hidan of Yugakure was utterly devoted to his Lord Jashin to the point he'd gained immortality. How would the priest react to a fellow Jashinist? It helped that Hidan was easy on the eye too she thought as she eyed his figure with a smirk._

Ayaka screeched in pain as the memory was ripped from her consciousness. She couldn't help but stumble slightly as she realised that Inoichi was far from done. It was nerve wrecking really, feeling Inoichi in her head rifling through her memories. She dug her nails into her palms as she felt Inoichi prep the next one. A small whimper escaped her as she avoided Neji's gaze.

 _Ayaka was running, she'd managed to disguise herself as a kumo ninja who'd faked her death and had been taking the bounty hunter world by storm for the past month. ANBU Hawk had provided her with little if not no supplies and her pay checks had helped her get by. While taking all the high profile bounties had indeed gotten her Kakuzu's attention, the man had decided to simply eliminate her as a threat when they'd inevitably met, with a headless bandit at her feet._

 _Part of being a ninja involved knowing when exactly she was outclassed and one glance at Kakuzu's hearts manifesting she'd fled without a moments warning. Her only hope at this point was to get away and try again to get his attention later when the elder ninja was not distracted by claiming a bounty he felt was rightfully his. She breathed in relief when it became apparent that Kakuzu wouldn't be pursuing her. Without doubt claiming the bounty would be Kakuzu's priority and Ayaka would use this time to regroup._

 _What she'd forgotten however was Hidan. It came as a surprise that she hadn't sensed him stalk her until she heard the sound of his scythe being launched towards her. She leaped away on instinct, back arching perfectly, as she saw the scythe sail past her in her periphery. This situation could be either good or bad depending on how she played things out. Hidan was truly better than she'd initially expected if he could stalk her without her knowledge. It wasn't often the hunter became the hunted. A small and unwise part of her lusted after the notion of a drawn out fight against Hidan. Unlike Kakuzu, who'd easily overwhelm her with just jutsu and sheer numbers, Hidan was a foe closer to her skill level and fighting style. The way he stood before her with body stance completely unguarded save for the fact that his scythe was a beautiful beast of a weapon alone, it was like he was either confident he didn't need to defend from her actions or more likely he was taunting her to go for an easy kill._

 _She didn't really understand how the muscled Jashinist priest fought but based on her research his battles were excessively bloody. If there was one thing Ayaka prided herself on was her ability to not get injured recklessly. Her training for her department change emphasised that agents of seduction need to avoid scars at all costs. Henge was too easy to detect by non civilians after all and gebjutsu would be easily exposed by a sensor. With great care she drew her katana, making sure the priest got a good look at her feminine form._

 _While Hidan's eyes did linger longer than she'd anticipated, she didn't let it distract her spewing out flames as she blocked the scythe that launched itself at her in response with her katana. Muscle memory and pure instinct forced her to launch a series of kicks to the weapon staff. Unfortunately, the chain that HIdan held onto prevented her from kicking the intimidating weapon away. She spewed out red hot flames again, feeling satisfaction as the scythes wielder leaped away from her._

 _She held her Katana limply as she threw a volley of shiruken at her target. Hidan blocked them all with his scythe and as their gazes locked she began to realize if she wanted to enchant Hidan, now would be the best time. Simple flirtations wouldn't work, yet she did have an ace up her sleeve._

 _"Your head would make a fine offering to Jashin sama," she mused teasingly, winking at the man. Hidan's eyes widened in surprise at her declaration and that was all she needed to launch her body into his personal space, her Katana slashing wildly as Hidan swung out his scythe again, but this time too slow as she leapt onto the flat face of the third blade with harsh force, using it as a launching pad to flip herself with more agility than she realized she possessed. The scythe wedged itself into the earth below in response and Hidan was forced to grab at her foot aiming for his face before he could remove it. This was his only mistake as she used the momentum of her fall and sent excessive raw chakra to her sword arm as she swung it, cutting of Hidan's arm at the elbow. Unable to balance with the loss of his arm and still having a hold of her ankle, Hidan fell taking her down with him, cursing, but not before increasing his grip just enough to crush her ankle. Her grip faltered as her bone cracked due to his his action and she barely registered dropping her katana._

 _She cried out as the pain stabbed though her, barely noting the sticky feeling of Hidan's blood all over her as his arm bled out profusely. The priest laughed as he let her go. Ayaka was shocked to be released and quickly tried to put distance between them._ _She didn't get far though before collapsing in agony. She gritted her teeth, she had to make this work now. There was little chance she could escape like this._

 _"Never thought a girl priest existed. Actually never thought there were any other Jashinists. Guess you have my blood now Bitch,go ahead and do your worst!" Hidan lay there cackling somewhat manically as she wondered if he'd buy her act._

 _"Wait! You're Hidan, Jashin sama's champion!"_

 _"You already knew that shit head. Kill me already, priest girl."_

 _"I can't kill you! Jashin-sama will never grant me immortality if I kill his champion!"_

 _"You're not a fucking priest?"_

 _"No!"_

 _"Holy fucking Jashin, I have a Kouhai! You can call me senpai."_

 _"I'm not calling you that!"_

 _"Listen up you little cunt. Jashin sama has wanted me to take an apprentice since I got this fucking immortality gig. You already seem like you'd like that so stick with doll and that immortality you want so bad will be yours. If you spread those legs of yours, you might just convince Kakuzu not to kill your dumb ass either. He hates paying for our whores."_

 _"I'm gonna cut off you're dick you pervert!"_

 _"Still, you're coming with me or Kakuzu is gonna fucking destroy you. You can't run anymore, bitch."_

 _"I'm going to kill you one day, Hidan."_

 _"Become an immortal then. Only a true Jashinist can really kill another one," Hidan began laughing manically again and Ayaka laid down by his side. Even if it wasn't for the sake of her mission, Hidan was right. She could sense Kakuzu coming and there'd be no way she could escape him with her ankle in this condition. If Hidan could convince Kakuzu to take her along, she'd be one step closer to completing the mission ANBU Hawk had assigned her._

 _She would not dare to disappoint._

 **[An: please review!!! Enter - Hidan]**


	16. A contract and a kinslayer

**AYAKA**

 _If Kakuzu was not impressed to find Hidan a bloody mess, he was even less than impressed with the idea of Hidan taking on the ninja Kakuzu had graciously allowed him to kill off on as an apprentice. It was only after a severe argument, involving far too much cussing for her taste, that Kakuzu had relented to the idea of not beheading her with her own katana. However, Kakuzu had ten commandments that Hidan had hastily agreed to, much to her annoyance._

 _1._ _-Hidan would sacrifice all his benefits, including the 'whores' Kakuzu hated paying for._

 _Hidan vehemently protested that it was Kisame getting whores on his name and that he was very much chaste._

 _2\. -_ _The bitch would surrender all her earnings from any bounties past or future to him._

 _Ayaka flipped off the old man at this, much to Hidan's glee._

 _3\. -_ _The bitch was Hidan's responsibility, Kakuzu would not save her if a friend or foe decided she should die._

 _Kakuzu didn't notice the eyeroll she made._

 _4\. -_ _No Jashinism training on missions._

 _Hidan protested vocally to this, Kakuzu kicked him in the face and she laughed._

 _5\. -_ _The bitch cooks when they're on missions._

 _She was surprisingly okay with this. She couldn't imagine Hidan cooking something edible._

 _6\. -_ _Train the bitch however necessary, weaklings don't belong amongst immortals._

 _There were no arguments._

 _7\. -_ _If she betrays us, she dies._

 _If she was honest she was a bit terrified by that, but only a little bit._

 _8\. -_ _Don't get the bitch knocked up._

 _They both glared at Hidan indignantly, who muttered back that he was chaste, dammit._

 _9\. -_ _If she steals or becomes a liability she dies._

 _Well, she would make sure not to do either she guessed._

 _10.-_ _The bitch will surrender all information concerning Kumo and their two jinchuriki._

 _That was a surprise, but she had studied Kumo quite intently before settling on her cover. She'd be able to pull that off._

 _Ayaka had been more than a little surprised to see Kakuzu draft up a contract using Hidan's spilled blood as the ink but supposed, given that Hidan was awfully gleeful considering his recent loss of limb, that all S class ninja had their quirks. She watched in amazement as Kakuzu reattached Hidan's arm with his strange thread ability. Still, she hastily signed taking care to not use her last name, a fact that the acid green eyed ninja didn't fail to notice._

 _"No last name the Ayaka chan?" Kakuzu's voice dipped dangerously, no doubt wondering if she was worth a bit more than he'd initially thought._

 _"Abandon the clan, abandon the name." Ayaka stated evenly as she handed the paper to Hidan to sign as witness._ _It wasn't an unusual thing to say, given clan politics in Kumo were volatile and that non clan shinobi made up the bulk of Kumo's elite forces._

 _"Any particular clan jutsu of note?" Kakuzu pressed, ignoring Ayaka's dismissal of the topic._

 _"I've long since abandoned any such pursuits." Ayaka snapped at the elder ninja. The two stared each other down as she cursed her idiotic idea of provoking a clearly superior ninja. To both their surprise it was Hidan that roared with laughter._

 _"You see Kakuzu! She's fucking perfect, this brat has already abandoned her family! She was made to be a fucking Jashinist." Hidan cackled as he picked her up and carried her bridal style. Kakuzu grunted non-committingly as he set off clearly deciding the ignore the gleeful Jashinist and the indignant girl he carried._

 _"WHAT the…? Put me down! I'll kill you I swear Hidan."_ _She squirmed, trying to ignore the fact she probably couldn't walk if he did put her down._

 _"Oh, I'm sure you will someday sweetheart but until you can make that true, don't go making me false promises." His eyes were surprisingly gentle when he said that and Ayaka felt herself surrender their petty battle as they took off after Kakuzu._

"I'll kill you Hidan, I promise," the words came out slurred as she realised, she'd fallen to the floor, Inoichi apparently noting down the memory he'd just ripped from her. Hidan was nowhere around her but Neji was at her side clutching her arm worriedly. He was whispering something to her but in her current state she wasn't paying attention. It took every ounce of her will power not to attack any and all occupants of the room, so she didn't notice that Inoichi was back, when her world faded into pain again.

 _"Listen up fuckers, this bitch is my kouhai! So, no killing her, we've got a contract with the old bastard and everything! Feel free to train her if you get bored but don't forget she's mine you shits," Hidan finished of his speech dropping Ayaka painfully on the ground. "Meet Sasori, Deidera, Itachi and Kisame. The rest are at the other base."_

 _"Ow! I'm injured you brute! And you're meant to train me in the ways of Jashinism." She complained, eyeing the crowd in front of her._

 _"Look brat, Jashinism embodies bloodlust and there's nobody better at that then the people in this room. Between the six of us do you realise how much fucking blood's been shed? You and your pretty little kill count is fucking adorable in comparison," Hidan nodded at the room, daring anyone to contradict him. Whilst the collective group ranged from stoic to heavily annoyed, nobody corrected the priest._

 _"We're both covered in your blood. I'm clearly decent at bloodshed." Her sarcasm earned her a chuckle from Kisame and an open laugh from Deidera. Sasori and Kakuzu had already lost interest. However, Itachi gazed on intensely and Ayaka found herself unnerved by the Uchiha for a mere moment. A moment that passed quickly, since Hidan chose that moment to land a sharp blow on her temple effectively trying to knock her out. It didn't work and she attacked the priest with vigour, bad ankle be damned._

"Hokage sama please! I've already reported this to ANBU Hawk. Stop this!" She cried out. The pain was searing, and she realised she couldn't move. Neji had incapacitated her with gentle fist.

"There is no ANBU Hawk, Ayaka."

 _She woke in a cot, ankle wrapped tightly and healed haphazardly. Post the spar she'd collapsed, honestly because Hidan simply outclassed her at this point. Realistically her win against him had surely been just a rare indugence in an attempt at assisted euthanasia. Taking a moment to adjust her eyes she froze at the figure sitting at the edge of her cot. Itachi Uchiha was sitting in front of her. She would've thought she was still dreaming if not for the fact that she still was covered in Hidan's blood, the iron stench overwhelming._

 _"Sasori healed you." Itachi stated, sensing her wake. He turned slowly locking his gaze with hers._

 _"I see, thanks," she whispered, feeling slightly awed._

 _"Its best you fully commit to Hidan's plans for you. I've seen you're type before seductress, it won't work on any of us. So, forget whatever mission your village sent you on." Itachi spoke slowly emphasising each word knowingly. Ayaka was completely in shock. She hadn't given herself away, she knew she hadn't. Were her playful jabs at Hidan mid spar too much? Itachi really was a prodigy if he had this kind of natural intuition._

 _"I'm not on a mission to seduce anyone. Kumo didn't send me." It wasn't really a lie. The mission wasn't to merely seduce, and she definitely wasn't a Kumo ninja._

 _"I once knew a boy like you. It's either a suicide mission or the person who assigned it to you doesn't want you to survive and return." Itachi explained pensively._

 _"You think I'd die for a village, Uchiha?" She asked, a faint edge of malice entering her voice as she contemplated the ninja before her._ _The Itachi Uchiha, killer of almost an entire clan. The shame of the Leaf village, second only to Orochimaru. Infamously, member of ANBU's disbanded elite Assassination squad alongside fellow prodigy Kakashi Hatake, his apprentice Tenzo and her fellow swordswoman, Yugao. The squad was legendary in the ANBU._

 _"No, I think you'd live for one," he smiled then and Ayaka found it hauntingly beautiful in a way that confused her, "Give up, this is my only warning."_

 _"Why do you think you know me kin slayer?" She snarled openly now._ _Shika had told her his classmate Sasuke was troublesome. She hadn't realized that his homicidal brother shared the quality but she supposed both Uchiha were missing ninja now and she really shouldn't judge them according to her standards of morality. Nevermind, how skewed her standards could be under the right circumstances._

 _It was already obvious if she wanted to know about Itachi's intentions she wouldn't get it from him. The man was already suspicious of her and honestly there was something about him that terrified her even when she was in a base full of murderers. She wasn't comfortable around him and he clearly was unphased by her newfound hostility._

 _"It takes a monster to truly be able to see another monster. Tell me foolish little girl, why do you think Hidan wants to train you? When you battled him, did you feel terror? Or did you lust for the battle and tease the man who's arm you cut off? Even now, drenched in your new senpai's blood, you follow orders blindly."_

 _"There are no orders from Kumo, Itachi" She said firmly. Sitting upright now, fists clenched at her side as she leaned into him, drawing him into her gaze. There faces were inches apart, and she forced herself to convey both earnestness and innocence in their drawn-out battle. His eyes reflected the nothingness one could assume was a result of his atrocities but Ayaka doubted that. One simply didn't massacre a clan and then loose one's emotional capacity. So one without such capacity wouldn't target such a specific group. A better challenge, date she say it, would be if Itachi faced off the ANBU. She was glad he hadn't. Oh, Itachi Uchiha was truly a prodigy with plenty blood on his hands. A prodigy who's eyes lied just as easily as hers. She unclenched her fist, raising her palm to his cheek with faux reassurance, "Do not fear me."_

 _Itachi barely reacted to her touch. If anything, the already stoic ninja became even colder at her attempt at reassurance and his voice was icy when he_ _replied,_ _grabbing her wrist to pull her palm away._

 _"Truly terrifying it is, when two ravenous beast's lock gazes. Yet, I feel my words are now a feast for your ego and I dare not indulge your gluttony any further tonight." With a burst of crows that made her reel back, Itachi Uchiha let her go and vanished into the inky black night._

 _"Is it not yourself you starve, Uchiha?_ " _She voiced, already knowing the answer._


	17. Senpai are you jealous?

**[A/N: Are you guys enjoying the Akatsuki arc? Please leave a review!]**

 **Note this arc will be lengthy**

 _ **AYAKA**_

 _Deidera flung his explosive clay spiders at her from above as she jumped and dodged with increasing difficulty. While being under attack by the blonde bomber under normal circumstances ought to have terrified her, this was nothing but a mere spar. At least in Deidera's eyes, Ayaka herself begged to differ. Deidera was holding back severely and Ayaka was definitely going to have to take advantage of that. Using only the smallest of his explosives meant that Deidera couldn't stay up in the air forever if he wanted to beat her. Close combat had always been her greatest strength, which was possibly Deidera's greatest weakness outside of his potential to accidentally injure himself in pursuit of 'true art'._

 _After dodging yet another volley of explosives, she found herself breathing heavy realizing that Deidera could actually win with his idiotic strategy of bombarding her with these annoying explosives. Fatigue would hit her inevitably if Deidera couldn't be persuaded into a close ranged fight. The blonde was not an idiot, he surely knew that had been her plan to begin with. Her Katana and taijutsu were basically useless in luring in an airborne opponent. Shiruken and Kunai could be easily dodged by a ninja of his caliber and she found herself wishing she could fly. Using fire jutsu would drain her chakra recklessly and she didn't even know her second elemental nature yet. That left her with genjutsu but Diedera had been training himself against visual genjutsu with intense vigor._

 _She'd always had a unnatural sense for dispelling genjutsu and for a time, her aunt Kurenai had tried to patch up their shaky relationship and teach her the finer points of genjutsu use. Still she'd hardly progressed from the most basic visual and auditory genjutsu, lacking the passion for the art that had lead Kurenai herself into mastery, inevitably causing the relationship to grow distant again. She didn't dislike her aunt, but unlike Yoshino, Kurenai looked at her as if she was her mothers ghost. Kurenai had done her best though to train her in the arts of genjutsu and she wouldn't waste that knowledge. So if Diedera was training avidly against visual genjutsu, she'd need to use the less popular auditory style Kurenai had taught her._

 _With a quick flash of hand seals, Ayaka prepped to dodge the next series of explosives, flipping, twisting and bending out of the way but Deidera had decided to finally increase the intensity. The shocks of the explosions left her disorientated and she finally relented to make use of her fire jutsu despite the chakra drain it would cause. Praying, the strongest ninjutsu in her arsenal would be enough to buy her the time she needed for the genjutsu to be effective, she got ready. Yoshino had often warned her this jutsu was A-rank and she shouldn't use it carelessly at chuunin level, despite having large chakra reserves for her age._

 _"Katon! Dancing twin dragons."_

 _With that two flaming dragons formed attacking the former Iwa ninja, forcing him to go on the defensive as she counted the time down while going through the dance like motions that controlled her flames. Sound based genjutsu was a tricky thing but didn't require true mastery like visual jutsu to incapacitate a victim. Its mainstream use was typically a means to confuse or misdirect one's opponent. However, if one were to luck out with a sensei like the genjutsu mistress Kurenai Yuuhi, you'd learn that the genjutsu effect of a fictional infrasonic output resulted in a placebo effect, not on one's hearing, but on the various fluid-filled parts of the human body. While high frequency sounds can cause pain, it was the results of low frequency genjutsu that Ayaka was truly after. Depending on the frequency of the sound generated by the genjutsu, different parts of the body will resonate, which can have very unusual non-auditory effects including nausea, twitching and in extreme cases respiratory cases, even death._

 _The beauty of such a simple genjutsu? Diedera wouldn't be able to notice its effects until it was too late and even if he were to release the genjutsu's effects it would still last a while before his body adjusted._

 _As if on cue, a retching noise followed by a surprisingly girly shriek followed as Diedera plummeted from the sky. Ayaka kicked up a gear as she stepped towards the Iwa ninja, catching him before he reached the ground, fire jutsu dispelled already. The pair of them crashed heavily into the ground, impact of their instinctive action of sending raw chakra to their limbs creating a small crater._

 _"Kai!" She said, helping the blonde ninja stand with a wince._

 _"That was genjutsu? I feel sick un.." Deidera clutched his sides glaring at her with betrayal in his eyes._

 _"Sorry Dei-kun, but how am I meant to fight you in the sky? I can't fly." She rolled her eyes at him, which he mirrored with a sigh._

 _"Let's go to Sasori danna, he might have something to make me feel better."_

Ayaka coughed heavily. Someone had deposited her limp body onto a couch. She could feel Neji's arms around her, which would have been somewhat comforting if it weren't for a fact that she knew that there were far more thoughts and memories of her time to harvest. Eyelids heavy, she found herself uttering a small prayer towards that damned priests 'Jashin kami'.

 _"Praying the most important part of the fucking day, bitch! Where the fuck was you?" Hidan asked angrily, dragging her towards his room for their daily prayer and meditation sessions. He'd yet to preform a sacrifice in her presence but had opted to insist she offer nightly prayers to Jashin. She had a sneaky suspicion Hidan didn't want her to know exactly how his ritual worked. It was deeply personal after all, something he dedicated only to his kami. She was certain only a few Akatsuki members had ever seen the act itself._

 _"I'm sorry! Dei-Kun and had a spar! Then he got super sick and I had to take him to Sasori danna! Then Sasori danna was helping me learn about poisons…"_

 _"Good grief woman, I never expected you to train so much with those art fucks. At least fight the puppeteer, he'd be a better opponent then the blonde bitch, if he ever takes a fucking fight seriously."_

 _"Dei-kun is not a girl Hidan!" she pouted," And Sasori danna refuses to fight me. All he does is make me help him with his poisons."_

 _"Never mind that fucker, tell me you at least prayed to kami during that damn spar?" Hidan pushed her into his room, and she stumbled back, deliberately landing on his bed, hoping he'd glance her way._

 _"Uhm yes?" She asked curiously. Hidan was acting strange. In the past two months she'd trained almost exclusively with Deidera and Sasori had indulged her in the odd poison/antidote making lesson. Kakuzu had mainly left her alone, although he had assigned her on cooking duty. While she was no chef herself, it appeared Kakuzu was the only Akatsuki member at this base that had learnt the art of cooking. Kisame hadn't really paid her any mind except to criticize her sword work in passing and things with Itachi simply hadn't changed. Deidera obsessed about Itachi to extremes though and she was at least gathering some intel for her mission, if only from an indirect source._

 _Her relationship with Hidan on the other hand had grown somehow, although Ayaka often felt she was missing some part of the bigger picture about why Hidan kept her around. He was attracted to her, it was evident in the way his violet gaze lazily dragged itself up her body, yet despite enjoying the view he'd yet to indulge in her subtle attempts at seduction. His mere attraction to her didn't seem to distract him from teaching her the ways of Jashin. Still the look on Hidan's was still slightly off and she grew alarmed as he leaned onto the bed, propped up on his knees as his hands swiftly pinned her to the mattress._

 _"Then that's fine. So, what's the Uchiha brat been going to your room at night for?" Ayaka blinked at him. She'd not been expecting that particular can of worms to be opened by Hidan of all people but registered the danger that it came with. Itachi Uchiha was young, and like Deidera not that far off from her actual age. Sure, Hidan had the body of an 18 year old but how long had the zealot been 18?_

 _"He doesn't trust me," She replied honestly, feeling uncomfortable with her vulnerable position. As a seductress she ought to be overjoyed that Hidan was initiating dominating her in any kind of way in his bedroom but she shivered as she felt Hidan body flush against her, very much aware of how nice a body it was. How could she not have had those thoughts when Hidan frequently undressed her with his eyes, when he himself was showing off his shirtless body in her gaze?_

 _"And how do you convince him you're trustworthy? Not anything too vulgar, I hope." Hidan's hands had started to roam, one tangled in her hair and the other pulling her thigh up and around his waist. Him initialising contact was surprising but not at all unwelcome. Not one to be outshone, especially by a priest, Ayaka brought her other leg up too, but kept her hands off the man, trying not to push him too far. She was playing with fire after all, caution was advisable but perhaps pushing the envelope would get her further._

 _"Senpai are you jealous?" Ayaka knew taunting was a bad idea, which was exactly why she did it. Hidan's jewel like eyes flashed with rage as she registered that he'd not been cussing as much in this conversation. Who knew the uncouth behavior disappeared when the man was faced with his lust? Or her teasing at least._

 _"Has he, had you?!" Hidan growled out pulling harshly her hair. She gasped at the pain and then scowled at the man she was trying to seduce. He really was an idiot if he thought Itachi of all people wanted her. She was willing to bet that Itachi was not attracted to women, if not asexual._

 _"No ones had me idiot!" She replied with exaggerated exasperation. She pretended not to notice the relief in Hidan's face as she linked her arms around his neck daringly. She glared at him pointedly, which the silver haired priest chose to ignore._

 _"What are you up to, Ayaka chan?" Hidan buried his face in her neck breathing heavy. Ayaka shrugged under him unwilling to provide a verbal response lest she risk messing it up. Hidan clinging to her like this was nice in a weird way. She hadn't been held like this before, even if it had been an impromptu interrogation of sorts by the Jashinist. She almost gasped when she felt Hidan's lips suddenly roam her neck, but it was his teeth that eventually did her in. Unprepared for her sudden moan Hidan stiffened, raising his face to search hers questioningly. She was flushed, she knew, and her brown hair was messy from Hidan's ventures with his hands. Hidan's gaze widened as he took her in and even she could see the flash of attraction that flickered through them._

 _She was unprepared to have his lips slam against hers. Hidan kissed her the way she imagined a man in the purest of lust would. Rough and hot, he completely dominated her in a way she found she didn't quite mind. His hands roamed more wantonly, and it was only through her minimal seduction training that she didn't panic at the foreign feeling, instead relenting to it for the moment, retaliating to his touches with her own. When he dragged his teeth against her lower lip though, she couldn't help but arch her body into his dangerously, allowing the barest of whimpers to escape her swollen lips._

 _She was surprised when he immediately disentangled himself from her at her faint noise but was glad none the less. While seducing Hidan was a good way to ensure her safety, becoming a mere one-night stand was not the best way to do it. Hidan should, if she did this right, want more than just mere comforts of the flesh. Also, a seductive Hidan was a complete surprise. Hidan rolled off the bed his face as flushed as her own while she sat up to stare at him, uncertain what to say._

 _"Sleep here tonight Ayaka." Hidan instructed firmly before picking up his scythe._

 _"What's wrong?" She asked, worry taking precedence over the slight way her heart fluttered when he called her by her actual name, knowing that Hidan probably wanted to have a word with Itachi about his nightly visits to her if her intuition was right._

 _"Don't worry, I'll be back by morning.'' It had been a lie, perhaps the only one the zealot had ever told her._


	18. Breakfast chatter

**AYAKA**

 _The sound of rain woke her, and she immediately realised she wasn't in her own room. Hidan's bed was far too large for her tastes,yet still she'd slept better than ever. The imminent threat of Itachi had left her on the most minimal sleeping patterns since she couldn't quite bring herself to appreciate his visits, despite her mission. No self-respecting Leaf ninja would fall easily asleep with a whole Itachi Uchiha looming over her, even if she suspected it was only a clone. They'd trade poetic yet vague threats, until the Uchiha inevitably decided to quit 'indulging' her and leave her to a restless slumber._

 _She tiptoed out of Hidan's room, trying to be discreet as she made her way back to her own. Hidan hadn't returned, nor had Itachi visited her to the best of her knowledge. Not knowing if anything had happened irked her greatly but still, she'd best get dressed and ask Deidera at breakfast to clue her in. It would be flapjacks today she decided, rather treat the lot of them and maybe she'd convince them to let her get decent sleep again._

 _Mixing up the batter was quick work and she wondered exactly whom would be lured in by the sirens call of the scent of fresh flapjacks as she fried them. As if on cue she heard the kitchen door open behind her._

 _"Good morning…Sasori no danna?!" she exclaimed in confusion. Sasori was honestly the last person to ever show up in the kitchen, never mind leave the confines of his room that doubled as a workshop. Completely anti-social and without any need for regular meals, Sasori avoided the bases kitchen like the plague. She finished up the last of the flapjacks hastily waiting for Sasori to state his business. Sasori was even in his regular body!_

 _"Why did you not tell us about Itachi?" Sasori asked, still hovering at the door. His tone of voice was almost concerned, so Ayaka was a bit taken aback by the question._

 _"You know how Dei-kun gets when it comes to Itachi. It would be a terrible idea," she explained, confident in her decision to not confide in the blonde bomber. The obsession with getting Itachi to acknowledge him wasn't healthy and it would one day cost the bomber, her intuition claimed._

 _"Then why not tell me," Sasori demanded with frustration, much to her surprise. Ayaka paused setting up the table for breakfast and openly gawked at the former Suna ninja._

 _"You are Sasori of the Red Sand. If anyone knew Itachi was visiting me nightly it would be you!" Ayaka rolled her eyes at Sasori, seating herself and motioning him to join her. It was true though. There was no way Itachi's nightly visits to her were a secret. At the very least Kisame and Sasori would've noticed. Considering Hidan had gotten word of things too, it was safe to assume that Kakuzu had been in the know as well recently. Sasori was a master spy back in his day, there was no way even a prodigy like Itachi would get by him. Kisame would've had to be really dense not to notice what his partner was up to and she doubted he was. As for Kakuzu, she assumed he'd never quite stopped keeping tabs on her, lest she violated her contract._

 _"I thought you were engaged in more adult ventures." Sasori explained coolly causing her to choke on her flapjack at the idea. Itachi and her engaged in other activities? Deidera would blow her up, alive, for the betrayal._

 _"YOU THOUGHT WHAT?!" If the puppeteer could have cringed at her shriek he would've. Ayaka herself winced at her lack of self-control, sensing movement from parts of the base as people rose from their slumber._

 _"Regardless, before Itachi returns, come collect some poisons from me. I have a few paralysis types I've been wanting to test. If he pursuits his inappropriate endeavors, I feel it will be well within your rights to use him as a guinea pig." While Ayaka tried to wrap her head around Sasori's statement, the former Suna ninja quickly evacuated the kitchen no doubt fleeing from the inevitable arrival of whoever was sprinting to the kitchen._

 _"AYAKA CHAAAAAAAAN!" Deidera entered the kitchen full speed yelling at the top of his lungs. If anyone was still asleep after her outburst, they with out a doubt be awake now. The former Iwa ninja, scooped her up into a surprisingly bone crushing hug. Ayaka hadn't been aware Deidera had any upper body strength and she struggled to free herself._

 _"Dei-kun let me go!" She gasped out, kicking the blonde in the shin. With a pout the bomber let her go and plopped into Sasori's vacant seat._

 _"I was worried, un! Hidan and Kakuzu dragged Itachi, the teme, out last night. Sasori no danna said Itachi did something really bad to you, but wouldn't let me go to you because you were in Hidan's room, un!" Deidera talked quickly, stuffing himself with his share of the flapjacks. His blue eyes shone with undiluted anger, that had Ayaka feeling unusually touched by his concern._

 _"Sorry, I guess they felt I needed to sleep. Itachi's been preventing me from getting sufficient rest," she explained choosing her words carefully. When it came to Itachi, Deidera had little restraint._

 _"Sleep deprivation, un? Didn't think the Leaf boy had it in him to train you against torture. I hated that too, when I was in Iwa. Did he use genjutsu?" Deidera happily started nibbling on her unfinished breakfast now, clearly convinced last nights incident was due to training gone wrong, despite his dislike for Itachi. She almost felt bad for how she was about to throw Itachi under the bus._

 _"Not exactly. It wasn't for training. Itachi didn't trust me so, I guess we sparred verbally every night when he'd come to my room uninvited. Pretty sure he used a clone though. I was too cautious to sleep," Ayaka gulped down some orange juice as Deidera figuratively began to froth at the mouth._

 _"That bastard un! That's sick! Sasori no danna and I would've ripped him apart if we knew!" Deidera stood now, fully enraged and glaring threateningly at Itachi's usual seat with a bent fork clenched in his hand. Thinking she ought to save the furniture from its explosive demise, she said the only thing that could have distracted the blonde._

 _"Hidan kissed me," she said quietly as Deidera's body jerked to a complete stop, apparently returning to its factory settings. It was such an amusing sight and she almost didn't notice Kisame show up._

 _"HIDAN'S NOT GAY?!" The blonde yelled out. Ayaka flinched and thanked Jashin Hidan was straight, if only or the sake of her mission._

 _"No wonder the zealot was so pissed last night. He nearly took my head off by accident," Kisame grinned happily at the spread in front of him, piling up a couple of flapjacks, whilst Deidera was still trying to comprehend what Ayaka had told him, staring at his plate in confusion, muttering about the perfect zombie couple._

 _"What happened last night Kisame sama?" She asked curiously. It didn't seem like either Sasori or Deidera had been present when Itachi and Hidan had faced off. Kisame wasn't someone she engaged with often on the base, simply because the shark man was incredibly intimidating. Still, she was concerned about Hidan and Kisame wasn't likely to lie._

 _"Well, Hidan stormed into Itachi's room and sent him through my wall. Itachi pretty much fought defensively, so thankfully nobody threw around fireballs but they still wrecked the place. Kakuzu was also pretty angry at the damage. I think Itachi was a bit shaken by Hidan's rage but I haven't deciphered Uchihaese yet, all he said was "un". I wasn't exactly too amused myself, but Kakuzu threw them out before I got Samehade involved." Kisame covered his flapjacks with honey, taking meticulous care not to make a mess as he devoured his sack just as quickly as Deidera had. The blue man was almost gleeful at the days gossip. Ayaka supposed life was pretty boring if you were paired with Itachi._

 _"I see, so they didn't go all out at least," she said relieved and surprised she'd slept through that. Then again, Hidan's room was the most secluded one on base since he didn't like to be disturbed during prayer. She passed Deidera a glass of water, motioning him to sip on it. The poor bomber looked almost ill and she wondered if her news had broken him. Maybe she should assure him Hidan could be bisexual?_

 _"Wouldn't say that kid. Hidan's never been quite that manic and Itachi was pretty much annoyed if he activated his sharingan. Still, I can't blame Hidan, seeing he's got the hots for you. Kakuzu explained the situation and given that Itachi was being all kinds of creepy, I'm glad the two of them decided to knock some sense into him." Kisame rose, meal finished as he poked the still ill looking Deidera._

 _"You think Hidan thinks I'm hot?" she asked with amusement. She wasn't aware Kisame paid much attention to anyone. Never mind who liked who._

 _"You damn well know he does kid. You should really take the blondie to Sasori. It looks like you put him in shock, imagining all those reasons you were in Hidan's bed. Poor thing can't handle reality outside his Uchiha obsession. If you want, I'll spar with you while the kid recovers," With that Kisame departed, shooting her a wink she could only rationalise as a challenge._

 _"Dei-kun! Snap out of it, you pervert! Kisame just offered to train me! We gotta get you back to Sasori no Danna. There is no way I am gonna miss out on a spar with one of the seven swordsmen of the mist because Hidan likes boobs and not dick."_


	19. My sister

**[AN: The Akatsuki arc isn't over yet but, lets not forget there are other characters out there on the move. ]**

 **SHIKAMARU**

He was running, perhaps without any intentions to stop, lest he let his mother catch up to him. Yoshino hadn't been on active duty in nearly two decades, but the woman had spent that time training outside of her duties as Nara matriarch and her stamina definitely exceeded his even if she were at a theoretical disadvantage in this pursuit being a weak sensory type.

Shikamaru wasn't one to entertain naive fantasies, if his mother caught up, she'd surely tell him the Hokage had ordered the current events as classified. As an active chuunin, Shikamaru would have no choice but to abandon his plan to seek help. Retired, his mother might be, but an active chuunin faced with a ninja war veteran was duty bound to obey. Finding help would be easy with both the Hokage and his dad were observing things. Thus, Ino and Chouji were not the best candidates to back him up this time even if they both had the influence of being a clan heir. He needed a reliable jonin, he needed his sensei, but he couldn't sense Asuma sensei anywhere and his apartment had been empty.

Logically, Asuma was in the village. It was unlikely the Hokage had sent him out on a mission this morning, because Asuma had been with Kurenai last night and was bound to sleep in late.

Wait, Kurenai! That had to be where his sensei was. Yet, Kurenai's apartment was awfully close to where his mother was. She would definitely sense him, but he just had to make sure he got to Asuma before his mother caught him. With greater determination than he'd usually show, he sprinted his way towards where he hoped his sensei would be.

In hindsight crashing through Kurenai's bedroom window, although the fastest means of entering was perhaps not the smartest one. Still he could sense his mother on the street and not even the potential sight of his sensei and his girlfriend in a state of undress or otherwise engaged burnt into his retina's could be worse than Yoshino at this moment. He wasn't surprised however to feel two perfectly aimed kunai slam into his torso as Kurenai or Asuma responded to him as potential threat. He supposed he really was the dumbest genius that had ever existed. Their hostility turned to horror as they recognized him as the intruder just as he heard his mother breaking in through the front door downstairs.

"MY SISTER IS BEING TORTURED," he blurted out, cringing inwardly at his dramatic entry, as his sensei caught him in alarm before he fell. Before he blacked out, he didn't fail to see Kurenai's face darken dangerously. Yet, all of this was nothing compared to the furious killing intent he sensed as his mother entered the room and he faded into the black.

 **YOSHINO**

Had she known that her genius of her son would do something as moronic as to try to interrupt to elite jonin by jumping through the window while they were having sex, she might have tried a little harder to find him. Foolish child, thinking his mother was so out of practice she wouldn't be able to find her own sons chakra. Hands glowing a minty green, she cringed at the two potentially life-threatening wounds Kurenai had inflicted on her baby. Honestly, had she not been in pursuit, Shikamaru would've been in trouble. She could practically imagine the potentially cringe worthy tabloids.

 _ **"Nara heir dispute settled by disapproving aunt murdering her boyfriend's student. Ayaka Nara is now clan heir!"**_

"Really Kurenai? Poison?" She groaned realizing there was only so much she would achieve with healing the wound. Shikamaru would be hospitalized without doubt this time.

"Really Yoshino? Torture?" the red eyed woman snapped back as she hastily clothed herself. While Yoshino knew Kurenai struggled to find common ground with Ayaka, the woman was fiercely protective and thus was the best choice for Shikamaru's plan.

"Just go to the Hokage, Kurenai. Do inform my idiot husband about his idiot son's condition." She sighed, before turning to the now fully clothed Asuma.

"Help me get this idiot to the hospital and we can meet her there," she demanded, noting in satisfaction that Kurenai had already left. She shot Asuma a scrutinizing look, definitely holding him responsible for his girlfriend dealing his student a life threatening wound in his presence. Really, were all the men in her life idiots?

 **TSUNADE**

She was quickly losing control of the situation. She'd known there was a potential ANBU had been compromised from within but when Ayaka threw around a big name like the Akatsuki, she could not in good conscience ignore the situation any longer. At least Shikamaru and Yoshino had left. She did not think either would be pleased with the current situation. As things was, Shikaku looked seemed barely able to keep himself in check. Having Inoichi do a quick invasion of Ayaka's memories had seemed the quickest and most fool proof way to get verifiable answers at first, but it was shaping up to be anything but.

Moments ago, Inoichi had announced Ayaka's memories had been gone through before, possibly dozens of times, and she was too resistant for him to take breaks to note down his findings. If he was going to keep at it, he'd need to do it all in one go. This would've been all fine really, had Inoichi not collapsed and Ayaka's vitals start fluctuating wildly. Not to mention Ayaka's file lacked details of her having official business with any Yamanaka besides Ino.

Alarmed, she'd rushed forward only to be stopped by a fierce Hyuuga.

"Out of my way Neji, somethings wrong," she'd demanded furiously.

"Don't use medical ninjutsu on them. Something's wrong with their chakra, its mixing. Almost like they're trying to force each other out. Any extra chakra in their coils will do more harm than good." Neji stated firmly, yet the newly betrothed Hyuuga had clear worry etched on his features.

"Can't you block their pathways? Or at least Ayaka's again? "She asked, uncomfortable with the idea that both Jonin need to suffer.

"That could be dangerous. We need a Yamanaka medic here. I suggest Ino," Neji replied. Tsunade blinked in surprise at the suggestion before signalling Shikaku to have Ino summoned.

Ino Yamanaka was not going to be pleased when she got here and an unhappy Ino was a loud one. Surely, it wasn't too early to take out her good sake again.

 **KURENAI**

Sprinting through Konoha in her nightgown wasn't something she was expecting to do today. Still, she made it to the Hokage tower in excellent time. She would've been in Tsunade's office in a mere minute had she not crashed into a platinum blonde half carrying and half reading through a patient file.

"Kurenai sensei? What are you wearing?!" Ino gaped at her in shock, clearly unused to her in any state of undress.

"Yamanaka, you're a medic, right?" Kurenai asked brain whirring with ideas.

"Yes! Is there an emergency? I was on my way to the hokage but - eep!" Ino's statement was forgotten as she grabbed her, making a beeline for Tsunade's office. They'd certainly need another medic if Tsunade was responsible for what Shikamaru and Yoshino had implied. Kurenai would not be letting anyone get off easy. Torture of a leaf ninja! What was Tsunade thinking? What was Shikaku doing?

She stopped only at Shizune's desk and only for Shikamaru's sake. Shizune gasped at the sight of her in a nightgown but Kurenai ignored the slight against her attire.

"Shizune! You are needed at the hospital. The Nara heir's been poisoned." Shizune jumped to her feet and Ino gasped in surprise at the news.

"Was he attacked?" Shizune asked worriedly, motioning Genma to man her desk. Ino looked at her, wordlessly making the same inquiry.

"Of course he was, by me," She smirked a little as Shizune paled and hurried off. Genma eyed her worriedly and surprisingly did not check her out as she pulled Ino towards Tsunade's office.

"I didn't see nothing," he called after them, much to her appreciation.

 **INO**

She clutched the folder she'd intended to bring to Tsunade to her chest as Kurenai dragged her along. She'd never seen the woman quite as unstable before and frankly she was petrified. Kurenai had poisoned Shikamaru? And was visiting the Hokage in a night gown? What had that pineapple head done this time? Was she in trouble again today?

The were about to enter the Hokage's office, without knocking even, when the door swung open revealing a manic looking Shikaku Nara. Ino wondered vaguely if she was dreaming. Could a Nara man even be manic? It seemed against the laws of nature. Pair that with Shikamaru being poisoned by a nightgown wearing Genjutsu mistress and a mysterious ANBU agent with an equally mysterious medical record, she really was convinced she might have had one too many the night before.

Kurenai pushed past Shikaku with surprising force, muttering that his wife was in the hospital with his poisoned son. Ino didn't quite focus on Shikaku's response though because as she was dragged into office she was greeted by a sight that made her blood run cold.

Neji Hyuuga, byakugan activated, standing defensively between a livid Tsunade and her unconscious father and senpai. She could almost see rather than feel, Kurenai's killing intent leaking out and it only fed her own.

"What the fuck?!" She vocalized to the universe, deliberately raising her voice at least an octave, because not even alcohol could explain this one.


	20. Tales of tools and monsters

**AYAKA**

 _Depositing a barely functional Deidera at Sasori's bedroom/workshop had been a quick task. Sasori for his part seemed used to receiving Deidera in all kind of states given the blondes uncanny ability to overdo just about anything. Whil Sasori was intrigued by her state of urgency, he didn't pry, and she was far too excited by the prospect of a training session with Kisame to waste time explaining. Once Deidera gathered his thoughts enough to form a collective sentence, she was sure he'd explain her rush._

 _Unfortunately, Kisame hadn't been keen on providing her with a spar immediately, instead the former Kiri ninja had her working on the basics of swordsmanship in the downpour. Still, she wasn't exactly disappointed, Kisame had pointed out several subtle errors in her form that could prove deadly should she ever face a swordsman either on par with her or completely superior to her. Besides for anyone that knew anything about kenjutsu, receiving training of any form from a swordsman of the mist was a huge honour. She would treat any attention from Kisame with the awe and attention it deserved._

 _When Kisame finally motioned for her to attack, she was both disappointed and embarrassed to see his weapon of choice was a mere kunai. Still, even with such a huge handicap she was unable to land a single blow on the swordsman. Yet, the beautiful sound of steel clashing against steel as a beast of a man was driven to fight defensively by a mere flower like herself was truly something akin to music. Since even beasts fell prey to beauty and some flower's, delicate as they were, remain carnivorous in their nature's._ _If Kisame noticed her new found confidence, he dared not mention it._

 _It was more than apparent in their fight that Kisame wasn't fighting seriously, perhaps because she was a woman or more likely that he didn't need to. Still, she attacked with flawless tempo, dancing to a rhythm that only she and her katana could hear and she knew the sharkman had noticed. Kisame never spoke, just defended with his honed reflexes and eventually she felt her sword arm grow weary. Unphased she switched hands, earning a chuckle from him and immediately beginning to pool the raw chakra she usually kept evenly distributed in both forearms to the one._

 _When Ayaka fought with her favoured hand she fought a battle relying on flashy sword skills and flexible manoeuvres. However, when she dared use her weaker hand, she opted to fight with swift precision, without wasting a single movement on embellishing her attacks. It wasn't like she became sloppy, but she dropped the flawless finesse that Kisame had always seen from her. Kisame's eyes had narrowed at the change in style, but aside from perhaps placing a little more strength in his defence and picking up the pace he hadn't been baited by her choppy attacks. After one particularly hard blow that left her arm numb, with the sound of clashing steel ringing in her ears, she found herself at the end of her stamina._

 _"Dammit!" She growled, slumping to the ground in fatigue. Kisame truly was a beast. The object of her frustration laughed at the state of her, offering his arm to pull herself back up._

 _"Listen kid, you ain't half bad. You at least understand to use your flexibility and speed to your advantage. Still, I have way more experience than you with swords, so in a fair fight, my victory was somewhat inevitable," Kisame gloated as she pulled herself up._

 _"You used a kunai," she complained with n eyeroll. Only Kisame would view a sword fight with a kunai as his trusted weapon as fair._

 _"Kunai, sword nobody cares on a battlefield. Don't get me wrong kid you're decent but life ain't fair. You need to mix in some taijutsu or ninjutsu, else beasts like me are going to eat you alive." Kisame warned her sternly._ _Ayaka couldn't help but nod her agreement, albeit grudgingly._

 _"My taijutsu is okay, I guess but it's more of a one hit thing. With a sword, ninjutsu can be tough. There's only so much one can do with one hand," she replied as they made their way inside, careful not to drag in mud. If Kakuzu was around he'd definitely give them an earful about being filthy._ _Not that Kisame would care but Ayaka wasn't a fan of the misters bitching._

 _"An old colleague of mine once picked up an untrained Yuki brat, who he then turned into a prodigy of sorts. Heard the kid exclusively used one handed A rank jutsu," Kisame replied with amusement tossing her a towel which she gratefully caught._

 _"That's not possible, you know." She said confidently._

 _"Guess Zabuza never told the kid that. I'll ask the asshole when I join him hell," with that Kisame began to walk away, probably with a shower in mind._

 _"Wait! What happened the kid if you're friend died?" She called after him, curious. Kisame's steps halted for a moment as he glanced back at her, expression cold._ _She stared back in surprise, Kisame was occasionally serious but rarely was the man icy in his mannerisms._

 _"The brat died for him. Like I said kunai, sword, your own fucking student; nobody cares on a battlefield. Just make sure you can use your tools to the best of their ability before the world screws us all." Kisame turned away again and if there was more tension in his stride and pain in his voice than before Ayaka pretended she didn't notice._

 _She guessed she understood where Kisame was coming from. All shinobi had to some extent been tools of their respective village. The mist, where Kisame hailed from was particularly brutal on its shinobi. Kiri was the kind of place that had birthed beasts and monsters and all things in between._

 _One could argue that only missing ninja were truly living a life of their own making and perhaps that's why so many Kiri shinobi fled thier village. Yet, being a missing ninja was a hazardous occupation and one would easily fall prey to other hunter ninja like she had been or bounty hunters like Kakuzu, if you were careless. Thus, missing ninja usually also served as tools for the shinobi system if only as targets and bounties._

 _When she really contemplated it, the Akatsuki were truly terrifying, at least the members at this base were. She didn't doubt the rest were the same. There were few who would dare to pursue a group of S class ninja, which resulted in the Akatsuki being in the position to act as tools onto their own ends. Unlike most ninja the Akatsuki, could easily pick and choose missions that tailored to each of their questionable morals or needs at their own convenience._

 _Itachi had said that only a monster could see another monster. He wasn't exactly wrong but perhaps that wasn't the best way to put it. True, they were all monsters in some form. Deidera was an overgrown kid but give him some explosives and he'd fight on par with most kage. Itachi was an S class ninja whom other S class ninja avoided fighting. Sasori was literally a one-man army, coated in one of a kind DIY poison. Kisame had the chakra of tailed beast and clearly after this morning, he had the endurance of one too. Kakuzu had five hearts that could manifest as physical entities with unrivaled mastery in their specific ninjutsu. Hidan was probably the weakest of them, and he was an only an immortal with the ability to kill you with a mere drop of blood!_

 _Could it be that monsters were drawn to other monsters? What did that make her, probably the only ninja that would dare try to infiltrate a den of beasts? She was fooling them successfully too. Itachi questioned her interests but didn't seem have any objections to her training. In fact, she dared to think the shinobi thought their verbal spars contributed to them. She couldn't deny poetically venomous words could be a weapon if honed well. Deidera easily saw her as a friend and sparring partner that was close to his age and not as someone trying to siphon off information about his nemesis. Sasori doted on the both of them, with a nature she could only see as parental despite the fact that they rarely exchanged words as she observed his poison making lessons with Deidera dominating the chatter. Kisame probably thought he was her idol after they fought today, and he damn right would be if she really were a kumo missing ninja. Kakuzu and her, although not often, would occasionally go through bingo books for fun. They'd categorize the best potential kills and he'd never suspect that she deliberately dismissed every leaf ninja as too soft a target for him to consider worthy with that small a bounty. Hidan and her discussed Jashinism well into the night after their evening prayers. Hidan liked her, if the kiss hadn't made it apparent, the lack of cussing in their private conversations did. She'd always assumed it was out of respect for Jashin but after last night she knew it had been for her benefit._

 _These men, probably the most dangerous beings she would ever have the unfortunate luxury of knowing, trusted her and she knew she was going to betray them without doubt. Like a true ninja, she would do her duty flawlessly and report back on everything and everyone associated with Itachi. Yet, that wasn't the part that chilled her to the core. She enjoyed their company, would die for a few of them even and yet she couldn't deny that for the sake of her hokage she would still slit every neck she was capable off had her kage deemed it necessary. Worse, she while she wouldn't enjoy it, she would most certainly pretend that she did._

 _Because these men were dangerous tools, and better such tools were betrayed by Ayaka the missing ninja rather than Ayaka Nara, a tool of the Leaf. For if any of them were to learn her allegiance, she would hope her treachery would overshadow that information. If they, the Akatsuki were the pariahs of the shinobi world, she would be their counterpart._

 _Shinobi often underestimated the art of seduction with good reason. A group of six elite kage level ninja be fooled by a chuunin, with a pretty face, because she had treated each of them exactly how they wanted to be treated? It was so unthinkable even Yoshino might try to slap some sense into her at that notion. Yet, it would happen. She would make it happen. When the dust settled and she was revealed, she wondered if they'd congratulate her on the achievement or if they'd stay true to the nature of carnivorous beasts and devour the lamb that dared play in a den of lions._

 _While she was hoping for the former, the ninja in her was begging for the latter. After all, she could not think of a better demise than at the hands of the men she was duty bound to betray._

 _It really would be a pity if they didn't get the honor._

 **[AN Remind you of anyone? LOL.]**


	21. Jashin's lust

**[AN: the main reason I've been updating so frequently of late has been because I've had an unusual amount of free time. Thus, I must offer a small apology because the updates will be returning to their usual pace. Still, as a token of my appreciation, I offer you a present day snippet from Hidan's mind space.]**

 **HIDAN**

It wasn't often that he found himself dwelling on the past, but perhaps it was the fact that Pein seemed finally ready to push for pursuing their true purpose after a certain red eyed Kunoichi had left them compromised, that had him sentimental. It had been a few years now but she'd certainly done quite a number on them. Her departure had finally mellowed out the Uchiha from angsty to brooding and Deidera had started to genuinely live up to his reputation as a crazed bomber. Kakuzu, though he thought nobody knew, would occasionally flick through bingo books searching for a familiar face. Kisame would occasionally glance outside on a particularly rainy day, then fall silent for hours deep in thought. Sasori cut himself of from his already minimal social interactions, even with Deidera.

As for himself, he was a red-blooded male and once in a while flashbacks of steamy nights with his little brunette vixen had him lustfully imagining tracking her down and dragging her back to his bed but more often than not, he pretended she'd never existed. How could he not when the logical alternative was to hunt down the woman he loved and rip her apart in vengeance? Healthy coping mechanisms were not in the Akatsuki's expertise and Pein had really struggled to get them to move past this hurdle. Orochimaru's past betrayal had left them shaken but not surprised, however Ayaka was a different case. Those that hadn't truly known her ranged from uncaring to baffled and none of them had dared to seek explanations from the other perspective.

They'd been on top the food chain. S class missing ninja that answered to none. Yet, she a mere chuunin, had waltzed into their lives and knocked them from their pedestals with an act so flawless even Itachi had bought it in time. She'd reminded them with smiles and blood and sweat and lust and fucking friendship, that the cycle of predator and prey couldn't be ignored nor was it to be underestimated. She wasn't just a mere monster, she'd been something of a more sadistic nature. She was a ravenous beast that dragged out the best of them before she dared to indulge in such a feast. Like obedient fools, they'd failed to realise that the most dangerous thing to a shinobi's way life was a beautiful woman. How could the universe allow for such a lethal carnivore to adopt such an innocent facade?

It just so happened that said woman had been his personal seductress in more ways than one. Oh, he craved her flesh beneath him but her also craved the taste of her blood. Would it too be a sweet poison upon his soul? Jashin had grown silent since her departure from his life and his bed. The reason was clear enough he supposed.

Ayaka had promised Jashin his head for immortality and his kami had indulged her promise. Unfortunately, his apprentice had abandoned her pursuit and his benevolent kami who'd been promised a death of an immortal, was now demanding blood in with dangerous silence. Hidan hadn't shied away from offering up Jashin blood but his kami had yet to be satisfied.

Intuitively, he knew exactly who's blood Jashin lusted for. The question was, what was he willing to do about it?


	22. Cherry lip balm

**AYAKA**

 _When she finally returned to Sasori's workshop after cleaning up, there had still been no sign of Kakuzu, Hidan nor Itachi. It frustrated her to no end but there wasn't exactly anything to do but wait for the trio to return. She wondered where they'd gone._

 _Sasori and Deidera were at opposite ends at the workshop, although for Deidera's part he was slumped over at his desk. It was unusual for the blonde to work himself to the state of exhaustion but she supposed that all artist had their moments of obsession and for Dei-kun they usually involved plots centering on a particular Uchia's demise. It wouldn't surprise her if Deidera's obsession one day was the reason he'd fall in battle. It was a pity, the blonde had so much potential._

 _It was also awfully adorable that Sasori allowed Deidera a spot in his workshop despite his destructive tendencies. Truly, Sasori was awfully indulgent when it came to the two of_ them, given he'd never chased her out either.

 _Sasori motioned her over and she stared curiously at the vial he was handling with chakra strings. Sasori's use of chakra strings were always intriguing to watch. She wished she had that type of chakra control. After a few attempts of mimicking Sasori she could only conjure one. While she was certain she had the movements correct to use them, it would appear generating multiple strings was best left to a real puppeteer of the sand._

 _She often wondered what a spar would be like against Sasori but dismissed the idea. The puppeteer, according to Deidera, had never once in his life fought all out and likely never would. As she was now, she couldn't hope to give him the kind of spar he'd be interested in when even battle bored him. Besides, they were a terrible match up and she'd lose in a heartbeat if she couldn't utilise her less than favoured long range clan jutsus. Since she didn't want to blow her cover, poison lessons with the puppeteer would have to do._

 _"_ _Dimethyl Sulfoxide also known as DMSO," he informed her. She gazed at it curiously. Sasori's poisons were ingenious combinations of common chemicals, plant extracts and animal venoms. She wondered whom the former suna ninja had learned from because poison making the way Sasori did it was an art form._

 _"What does it do?" she enquired curiously._

 _"It is a solvent capable of penetrating the cell membranes. Typically it is topically used by civilians to treat wounds, burns, and muscle and skeletal injuries," Sasori explained, his bored voice indicating that she hadn't asked the correct question._

 _"What do you use it for?" She pressed. As a living puppet, Sasori would have no use for such topical treatments._

 _"What shinobi haven't realised is that such a transport agent that could be used to deliver small molecules through skin and mucosa. It merely makes the effects of contact poisons much faster," Her eyes widened at the notion._

 _"So you saying it increases the permeability of the cell membrane? You'd poison someone quicker. Sounds deadly, considering how fast your poisons already work." She replied, grasping the concept._

 _"Yes. I've prepared some paralysis poison and the cure for your katana as a kind of gel so it shouldn't evaporate. The top of the hilt is hollow, judging by the way you hold it." Sasori stated, producing a tiny circular tub, which was partitioned to hold the gels, marked poison and cure._

 _"How did you know?" She gasped, completely baffled. She'd hardly made use of the secret compartment, especially at the base._

 _"Experience," Sasori's tone was patronizing, "I've also made you a lip balm, should you ever wish to incapacitate the zealot" he tossed her a vial of lip balm as she gawked at him._

 _"What the hell?" She exclaimed. Eyeing what appeared to be cherry flavored lip balm with significant distrust._

 _"Flavour not to your liking?" Sasori inquired, to which she responded with a mere shake of the head._ _Fuck it, she would rather not know why Sasori had felt the need to gift her that._

 _"Where are Hidan, Kakuzu and Itachi?" She inquired with exasperation._

 _"I suppose that Kakuzu has them on a particular bounty hunt, that Itachi wouldn't refuse, to pay for damages," Sasori said to her surprise._

 _"What bounty?" She pressed, curious as to what could have baited Itachi of all people onto going on a bounty hunt with the zombie dou._

 _"Sasuke Uchiha."_


	23. A swordsmen, Jashinist and a monster

**AYAKA**

 _A week passed by without any sign of Hidan, Kakuzu nor Itachi. While she was concerned, the idea that three S-class would run into any trouble chasing after a genin was laughable at best. Even with Sasuke Uchiha's known association with Orochimaru, a man truly feared in the Leaf, the Akatsuki members remaining at the base were completely nonchalant._

 _She'd brought up her worries mid spar with Deidera and was only rewarded with the bomber's laughter._

 _"You think the baby Uchiha can compare to the Akatsuki, un?!" the blonde had dissolved into giggles much to her annoyance._

 _"Sasuke is the only Uchiha that Itachi didn't kill. There's got to be a reason for it," she replied dryly, a bit unnerved by Deidera's descent into manic laughter. It would be fine if they were on the ground, but Kisame had suggested they spar in the air atop one of Deidera's clay birds and Ayaka was not fond of his lapse in control. Although the blonde had been much more in his element during aerial spars, Ayaka was definitely his superior in close range combat. The close vicinity forced Deidera to use a surprising combination of stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques that left her amazed that someone like Deidera even knew a taijutsu form. Admittedly, Deidera's form was sloppy but she vowed to beat that out of him. No use being an S-Class ninja if you couldn't fight outside your comfort zone._

 _"Itachi didn't kill his brother because he's a sick fuck, un. If I ever met that kid I'd put him out of his misery for sure. His death can be a work of art, un." Deidera declared, sitting down on top of the clay bird, his expression darkening slightly. Ayaka sat beside him with a sigh, anything Itachi related always brought out Deidera's darker side. She supposed though, the defeat of the Iwa prodigy at the hands of a genjutsu was one that had heavily wounded his pride._

 _"Maybe one day you'll get a chance to end his pain. You have a sister right?" She asked, knowing Deidera had mentioned a sibling in one of their many spars._

 _"Yeah, un. Bet the brat will end up Tsuchikage when the old man kicks the bucket, un. She's just as stubborn as the geezer, yeah. Do you have a sibling, Ayaka chan?" Deidera laid back, gazing at the clouds. The action reminded her so much of the young Shikamaru that she couldn't help but chuckle._

 _"A brother of sorts. He's younger, lazy and a total brat," she said with a soft smile, "the clan want him as heir but it would take a lot to get him up to standard in my opinion." Now that was true and concerning really. Shikamaru, the way he was now, would lead the clan to disaster if he ever became head. Still, she knew he had the potential but what could drive Shikamaru to do his best? She had no idea._ _It almost made her want to claim the position herself, if only to save the Nara from an unmotivated and lazy head. That wasn't possible though, not unless Shikamaru either died, became illigitamate, abdicated or she claimed the title, in both blood and battle, as were her clan customs._

 _"Sounds like you miss home, un." Deidera replied. Something about his tone of voice made her eye him with careful concern. Deidera was different from most of the Akatsuki members in her opinion, even if he was a potential kage level ninja. He had the passion and emotion that the rest of the members had long lost._

 _"Deidera, would you leave the Akatsuki if you could? You didn't actually want to be here," She asked. Normally, she wouldn't dare ask the question in the presence of the other members. Out of everyone on base, herself included, Deidera had been the only one dragged here by force and against his will. Sure, his rivalry with Itachi drove him, but was he happy here? Did he miss Iwa? Did he have regrets abandoning his home?_

 _"Ayaka chan, I wouldn't leave. I hate that I'm here but even I can't deny I belong here, Un and the benefits are quite... enjoyable, yeah." Deidera stood now, clearly ready to ground his clay bird._

 _"You could leave. Run away," she pressed stubbornly. Deidera smiled, not usual smile, but a soft one as if he were indulging a mere child as the bird began its descent._

 _"Where would I go Ayaka chan? The world fears monsters like us, yeah. When we done with you, I bet they'll fear you too." The bird settled down softly and she pulled herself off, frowning unhappily at the conversation. She wanted to press Deidera more, but now that they were grounded it was too risky a conversation to press further. She didn't want to picture the consequences of Kisame or Sasori overhearing them and she could sense Kisame lurking around on base. As indulgent as the older two were, she doubted they'd entertain a conversation about abandoning the Akatsuki._

 _When she got herself steady on the ground she was surprised that Deidera had already left. Yet, she had pressed the artist today. He probably wouldn't want to speak to her for a while. She'd give the ninja his space for now._

 _"Dammit Hidan, where did you go?" She vocalized to the universe. She shouldn't be this worried about anyone. If anything she should be irked at being left behind, Kakuzu really ought to take her on bounty hunts more often than he did Hidan. Seeing Itachi interact with a pair of Leaf missing ninja would have surely aided her mission. Wondering the halls of the base she paused at Kisame's room. She didn't feel like interacting with Sasori, dare she intrude on Deidera's sulking tonight. Perhaps Kisame wouldn't be too busy. Hesitantly, she knocked._

 _"Kisame sama? Are you busy?" She called out softly, knowing that Kisame would hear her regardless of the volume. The door opened a crack and a lazy eyed Kisame met her gaze with silent question as he replied._

 _"Just having myself some sake, kid. Why the long face? Did blondie actually beat you with his taijutsu?" Kisame asked with amusement to which Ayaka retaliated to with a roll of her vermilion eyes. Deidera's taijutsu wasn't that bad but it wasn't great either. Ayaka would cut off her left arm if Deidera beat her with only taijutsu at his disposal._

 _"We didn't really finish the spar. Dei-kun got upset when we were talking about home," she replied stepping inside. Then winching at the hole in the wall that gave her a glimpse of the sparse looking bedroom of Itachi. It was a sharp contrast to Kisame's room which was surprisingly cluttered, yet still felt comforting. Seating herself in seiza at the low coffee table, she helped herself to a little sake._

 _"Sitting like that in a casual situation, you'll give yourself away girl. It's obvious you're high born in a clan or something like that," Kisame joined her, sitting cross legged. She shrugged in response. She hadn't given the members of the Akatsuki much information about her family but given their own reluctance to indulge in the past, she could get away with it._

 _"Not high born really, I was adopted," she answered to Kisame enjoying the burn the sake gave her. While she didn't indulge often, dare she irk Yoshino's wrath, most chuunin could go to a bar if they wanted. Rarely, Hana would drag her and Shiho out and they'd drink well into the morning. Old enough to kill, old enough to drink was the logic most village would seem to follow. Like Konoha, Kumo wasn't an exception to this logic._

 _"I see, well so was Deidera as far as I remember. He was a unusual recruit at his age." Kisame indulged himself with another round of sake and she happily gave herself a refill, pondering Kisame's words._

 _"He thinks they wouldn't let him back home. That he's a monster," she said with annoyance. Deidera was a lot of things, but she couldn't quite bring herself to rank him in the same league as the rest of them._

 _"Listen kid, he isn't lying about that. Do you realise how much blood Blondie has on his hands? He's a dangerous ninja and worse than that, a volatile one that has wide ranged attacks. The average kage would eliminate a wildcard like him before he even stepped foot in a ninja village." Kisame slammed down his sake glass, openly annoyed as he glared at her, "We aren't your playmates kid. Don't you realise how many have tried and failed to have us killed? Oh but you do know, don't you. I can see it in you kid, you're a natural born killer yourself, with the way you train with us. Bet measuring up your skills against us is fun for you, despite your losses." Kisame ended his rant with a snort, still glaring at her._

 _"It's true, under the right circumstances I'd love to try to kill any and all of you. However, I don't think that you're monsters. You're human, just like me. You bleed, just like I do. It's not like you're gods," She replied with agitation. Philosophical discussions with Kisame often resulted in the former Kiri ninja showing his colder side and unsurprisingly Kisame's face twisted cruelly as he refilled their glasses and pushed hers into her hands._

 _"Who said humans aren't monsters too kid? Surely you realise what Hidan's doing with you?" Kisame scoffed before they both downed their sake, slamming their respective glasses down._

 _"I have an idea. I suppose I'm on the right track then." She raised an eyebrow as she began to pour out the sake. It was a bit too obvious. Hidan having her train but never being around to see the improvements she'd made. His barely concealed desire for her. The way he glossed over the traditional means of becoming a champion of Jashin and gaining immortality with conventional means during their discussions of faith. She sighed into her glass as she remembered Hidan's former words to her, "Only a true jashinist can kill another one, right?"_

 _"Yes, and that idiots gone and fallen in love with the one he's training to kill him," Kisame chuckled to himself before musing, "Guess it wouldn't be a bad way for an immortal to go, at the hands of his lover for the sake of his kami." She raised both brows at that, thinking before replying._

 _"You think Jashin kami told Hidan to train me to kill him? Or do you think Hidan is just suicidal," she queried that ninja in front of her. The sake was starting to get to her, and she was wondering how it was that Kisame seemed unaffected. Was he somehow resistant to the effects of liquor?_

 _"Probably both kid. From what I know, Hidan adores bloodlust and if you've promised him a bloody beheading in his kami's name, how could he not be taken with you?" Kisame face palmed, clearly annoyed with Hidan's logic._

 _"Maybe I won't kill him. There are other ways to gain immortality from Jashin," she reasoned to the blue skinned man in front of her who laughed heartily in response, grabbing a new bottle of sake._

 _"Then you'll just break his poor immortal heart," Kisame replied nonchalantly, opening up the new bottle and pushing her a generous helping of sake. Perhaps it was the liquor she was eyeing with pleasure, but she decided to indulge Kisame in a rare glimpse of her true intentions even if the ninja would brush it of as drunken nonsense._

 _"Never doubted I would, actually." Kisame roared with laughter as she giggled along with him. Both of them ready to greedily drink down the sake, when Kisame raised his glass._

 _"A toast?" She questioned raising her own glass in amusement._

 _"To the lovely Ayaka chan, a swordsman, jashinist and most importantly, true monster." They downed the drinks dissolving into drunken laughter and merriment, seriousness of the conversation forgotten as the sake worked its magic._

 **[AN: Deidera favors a taijutsu style similar to mauy thai. If you're a little confused think of Annie from AOT. Also Hidan will be back next chapter.]**


	24. Sorrow and chess sets

**AYAKA**

 _She woke at the unusual sense of a heaviness upon her, pinning her to the mattress. Blinking her eye open she startled at the fact that Hidan, was pinning her down to his bed. Arm around her and hair still wet, Hidan was out cold._

 _"Hidan? You're back?" She asked sleepily as she made to sit up. It had been several days since her drunken session with Kisame and since then she'd taken over Hidan's room during his absence, relenting to the fact that she did indeed miss the zealot. Hidan grunted, shoving her moving form away as he stretched out on the bed. She glanced over at her new bed mate. Hidan looked fine but his chakra was low. In fact had she not known Hidan were an immortal she may be alarmed by the magnitude of chakra exhaustion the priest was clearly about to experience. No doubt, he'd be out of commission for a while now and not even Jashin themselves could prevent that. A pity really, she had been hoping for a tad more exciting of a reunion with Jashin's champion. Lewd thoughts aside though, his condition was awfully troubling._

 _Worried, she got out of bed, fully intent on checking on Itachi and Kakuzu. If they were in similar states she'd drag them to Sasori, lateness of the evening be dammed. Sparing Hidan a last wistful glance, she ventured of into the base and was relieved to sense Itachi with Sasori, chakra unusually low. While she was sure she'd be able to bully Itachi into going to the bases default medic, she was glad she didn't yet need to interact with the brooding Uchiha. Tracking down Kakuzu proved to be trickier. The former Takigakure ninja almost always hid his chakra, and as a sensor, he could avoid her if he wished._

 _A peek into Kakuzu's library styled room revealed the elder ninja had not returned to his domain of choice. Frowning she pondered on where Kakuzu could be as she wondered the halls of the base. Seeing the kitchen light on, peeked in hoping Kakuzu was merely getting a snack. She wasn't prepared for the rarity of the sight that would greet her._

 _She'd never seen Kakuzu without his Akatsuki cloak, hood and mask. While the pupil-less acid green eyes and reddened sclera no longer shocked her, she was unprepared to see Kakuzu's features in their totality. The tall, tanned ninja actually had the appearance of a man in his prime despite his advanced age. With his waist length hair that was a shade close to her own and the stitched Glasgow smile that he held, although surely a result of torture, only added to the uniqueness of his combined features. He was handsome in a bizarre way. The tattoos on his arms, a well known symbol of imprisonment during the warring clan's era, enhanced the dangerous aesthetic of the various stitches on his body as result of his earth grudge fear technique. Although she couldn't see the four masks of nature transformation she knew they were lurking beneath the loose vest he wore. Deidera would surely loose his shit if he realised the old miser was actually a hottie..._

 _"Kakuzu sama? Are you alright?" She asked in to which the elder ninja raised a brow at her while she entered the room._

 _"You worried about me? I have far better stamina than either of those fools," he responded, frowning as he unpacked a storage scroll on to the kitchen table. Several packages and heavy tomes were revealed as well as a couple of food rations that Kakuzu immediately began packing away._

 _"Was the mission successful? You were gone for some time." She asked curiously. Peeking at the contents of the table._

 _"Unfortunately not. Orochimaru and Sasuke Uchiha had abandoned the base we went to," he replied, staking up the tomes, which he had no doubt looted, alphabetically, "The base wasn't empty, though. Itachi and Hidan decided to waste there time dealing with it. Foolish youths...,"Kakuzu trailed off in his thoughts._

 _"No wonder they're so chakra depleted. You really should have just taken me instead," she replied, exasperated. No doubt Itachi and Hidan were having a testosterone driven pissing contest, initiated by the latter, as the two massacred Orochimaru's experiments._

 _"I considered it child. However, given the circumstances prior to our departure I felt they needed a lesson in courting a young woman." It was always a challenge to gauge the mood of the old miser but it seemed like Kakuzu was highly amused by the notion which had earned a snort from her. Who knew Kakuzu could tease?_

 _"Hidan wouldn't listen and Itachi's interest is not of that nature," she began brewing some tea, too awake now to head back to bed, "Did you at least find some interesting stuff?" She could clearly see an ornate looking chess set, and although she'd favored Shoji in her Genin days, her sensei had indulged her in the odd game of chess. Kakuzu noticed her gaze lingering on the chess set and pushed it towards her, allowing her to inspect the ornate pieces._

 _"You play?" He asked, surprised as the game had originated in his home village and although could be found elsewhere wasn't particularly popular._

 _"My sensei indulged me once or twice. He died too early in my career for us to bond though. I was raised playing strategy games like shoji in my family," she replied, thinking back fondly on when Shikaku had introduced her and Shikamaru to the game. Shikamaru was a much better strategist but he had always had trouble predicting her bold moves. After one too many stalemates, they'd bicker too much and Yoshino would send them both to their rooms._

 _"If you're prepared, there won't be any sorrow. I'll indulge you in a game sometime. I'm curious." Kakuzu said as she settled at the table, which was now neatly organized and accepted a cup of tea from her._

 _"Sorrow? That's rather morbid," she rolled her eyes as she sat in front of the elder ninja. It was oddly sweet he'd attempted to give Hidan advice, even if it would no doubt be ignored. It was no secret that possibly the eldest shinobi alive was a plethora of knowledge. Any advice the greedy ninja gave would surely have its merits._

 _"Tell me Ayaka, are you the king piece or queen piece? If this life were a chess game," Kakuzu enquired of her._

 _"Probably the king? Surely I must be the most important player in my own game," she replied, intrigued by the question. Kakuzu chuckled and folded his arms at her look before explaining."_

 _"Proves you're just like us kid. Kings are the most important piece on the board, yes. A better man than us would've chosen the queen. If you have something you'd sacrifice you're life for, you'd choose the queen," Kakuzu explained._

 _"Perhaps, but if I play then I play to win. Not be a sacrificial piece," she replied indignantly. Yes, sacrifice was indeed noble yet she couldn't help but find it idiotic. It simply wasn't in her nature._

 _"They say that you live to become a hero and die to become a legend. Either way, you win. Which will you become?" Kakuzu pressed, not dropping the morbid conversation._

 _"Neither, I'd hope to become a legacy if I'm honest." She replied, feeling slightly tired. Perhaps she ought to have stayed in bed with Hidan. Kakuzu was obviously alright and Itachi was being seen to by Sasori._

 _"I suppose if you want that you might need to live and die simultaneously. Legacies are immortal, in a figurative way of course." Kakuzu finished his tea, and reached for a package, which he handed to her. Too tired to actually ponder on the old mans words she accepted the parcel warily._

 _"That makes you sound like Sasori. Nevertheless, what's this?" She inquired, knowing that Kakuzu wasn't the type to hand out presents._

 _"I might really take you out on the next bounty hunt. You actually think … unlike my idiot partner. You'd best be adequately attired in kunoichi attire if that time comes. The shoes Hidan chose, they're completely unpractical but were far cheaper." Kakuzu stood, picking up his stack of tomes easily as he made to exit._

 _"Um, thanks Kakuzu sama!" She called after the elder ninja before eyeing the package and the chess board Kakuzu had 'forgotten'. She had been wearing Deidera's old clothes now for some time now, given her's had been destroyed by Hidan's blood, and while the prospect of a new outfit excited her she wasn't certain how she felt about the trio choosing her outfit. Itachi was a goth, Hidan's outfits barely qualified as clothes and Kakuzu was so outdated in style it was ridiculous._

 _Unwrapping the parcel she was pleasantly surprised to find a wine red battle kimono with a black obi, albeit one daringly short to be considered appropriate by Yoshino. Thankfully, Kakuzu had thought to provide her with opaque black thigh high stockings which would at the very least reduce the amount of skin she'd have on display. The ensemble even had pockets! All things considered, it was a decent improvement from her current wardrobe. The shoes Hidan had obviously chose left her exasperated. Combat boots she could've understood. But high healed, combat boots? Was the idiotic priest testing her chakra control? Ugly as they were, open toe shinobi sandals made it easy to direct and focus chakra to their flat soles. While she had used heels before during infiltration missions she hadn't trained in them. At least they were made from chakra conductive material. Like long hair, kunoichi that wore heels were considered to be deadly. It was a status symbol, one she wasn't quite sure she'd earned._ _She could count on one hand the number of kunoichi outside of Kage level that dressed with such footwear willingly. Hidan sure was ambitious in her training it seemed._

 _Picking up her new spoils, she made her way through the base, pausing at her old room. Hesitating only for a moment, she continued deeper into the base, heading straight towards Hidan's room. Hopefully she could indulge in a few hours of sleep before the sun rose._

 **[A/N: Hi everyone! Just so you know, the Akatsuki arc will end soon, with there only being 3 to 5 chapters left, and then we will be heading back to seducing our favorite Hyuuga.]**


	25. The swordsman

**_AYAKA_**

 _The scent of battle filled the air as she chased down the kumo team that fled at the sight of Kakuzu and Hidan laying waste to the large group of bandits, with bounties Kakuzu had deemed worthy for collection after discovering a body storage seal at Orochimaru's base. She'd taken one glance at the team that had stumbled upon their-admittedly excessive- massacre and realised that not only was a team of kumo ninja who might compromise her cover as a kumo missing ninja, Yugito Nii was among them. Not only could she be outed as a spy, if the Akatsuki got the kumo jinchuuriki alive it was one less thing keeping her safe from the members she'd yet to meet. She'd yet to uncover the reason the Akatsuki were interested in jinchuuriki but she didn't think it was to kill them or at least not immediately. Thus, she had to either dispose of the team or run them off. Yet, given her company of ninja who hunted others down on a regular she doubted the latter was even a viable option. Growling out that the Kumo ninja were hers, and hers alone, she gave chase, thankful the two missing ninjas respectfully allowed her to deal with her 'former peers', although Hidan shot her a pointed look of concern as she left._

 _It was unnerving how slow they seemed during the pursuit. Had spending months with the company of those that truly outclassed her improved her base skills so obviously? She really had very little trouble catching up with the youngest of them, a pretty young thing that would no doubt have heads turning in a year or two. Or would've had, had she not just so delicately accelerated past her, flicking her wrist as her katana swung forward with masterful precision. The subtle move met its target as the youngster barely reacted to it, cutting the girls head clean off. Yet Ayaka didn't stop to admire her work._

 _With movements faster than she was used to using, she leaped up into the air sending raw chakra to her calf muscles, her outfit was new, and even though battle kimonos were designed to not hold stains, she didn't want to risk it. Kakuzu wouldn't be keen on replacing it and Hidan had proven to have poor taste in clothing. Tottering on her heels as she landed, she was very much aware of the three livid ninja that were heading straight towards her._

 _She lashed out with her already chakra enhanced legs, getting the fastest of them, that Yugito girl, square in the face. The blonde girl tried to block the blow but failed and Ayaka was already moving. With her spare hand, she ran through a simple fire jutsu firing straight at the third ninja, a bulky looking man with olive skin and sapphire eyes that was approaching her with lighting on his fists. The man dodged and the blast continued its path causing the final ninja, a swordsman with his raven hair swept into a low hanging ponytail, who also managed to evade the attack unsinged._

 _The two males were already moving to protect Yugito, who was nursing a broken nose and tears, either as a result of her fallen comrade or her injury. Even without sensory skills it was obvious that Yugito was the one with the highest chakra reserves and best speed capacity. Yet the two men were slightly older, both clearly bordering on Jonin rank, if they weren't already, and hadn't taken their eyes off her._

 _She saw their gaze linger on her headband, the kumo symbol crossed out, and confusion flicker across their faces as they struggled to recognize her. However, she also saw them eye her heels and loose long hair with worry. Kunoichi didn't dress her way unless they were dangerous, at least that was the reputation she wanted to convey. In reality, she didn't trust anyone at the base to trim her hair and Hidan had looked too ecstatic for her too not wear his gift._

 _With a smirk she sheathed her sword, it would do her no good. Three against one meant one thing, and one thing only. She was going to use ninjutsu, taijutsu and possibly genjutsu._

 _The bulky one started to weave signs as Yugito and the swordsman tried to circle her discreetly. She snorted at the Chuunin's slow motions, ninjutsu specialists had to be fast or keep moving. Deidera had drilled that into her during their spars. The lightning user was a sitting duck, even if the jutsu could be powerful. Weaving her signs swiftly, she let loose her favourite A rank jutsu._

 _"Katon! Dancing twin dragons."_

 _Normally, she'd never use this on a trio of enemy but, her opponents had been closing in on her. The swordsman had evaded her attack again, much to her disdain, but Yugito and the other ninja hadn't fared as well. While the blaze grazed Yugito's back as she managed to launch into a series of taijutsu moves Ayaka had been forced to parry, the full force of her own attack launched itself at the remaining ninja. The poor ninja was either dead or on the verge dying by the looks of his motionless form. While, the swordsman rushed to the other fallen ninja's side, hands glowing a minty green, Yugito didn't falter in her attack. Ayaka supposed she ought to admire Yugito for that at the very least. The girl would be formidable soon but not soon enough to spar her peers a death in battle._

 _The blonde girl's chakra was malicious and laced with killing intent, which ought to make a chuunin quiver. Yet, Ayaka didn't hesitate in the in the fight. Yugito's chakra was nothing in comparison to Kisame's or Kakuzu's, tailed beast or not. Yugito was good, clearly a taijutsu specialist in the making and her speed was impressive indeed, but Ayaka was skilled and a multifaceted kunoichi. Ayaka took a few blows in the skirmish before realising that she was taking too long to end things. Hidan, or Jashin forbid Kakuzu would look for her soon. There were too many risks if they found Yugito alive._

 _She pulled out a stack of explosive tags from her side, noticing Yugito's scoff as the blonde dismissed the danger she possessed. A jinchuuriki would be able to heal from the blasts most commercial tags could pack. However, these weren't standard tags, they were Deidera's invention. Explosives that multiplied their explosive quality as you pumped in chakra, not raw chakra as regular tags used, but the chakra that was active in your coils. Not everyone could use this technique and it required a tad better concentration then the bomber had, but both Deidera's kekkai genkai and her fire release were compatible with the tags and with the blonde terrorists help she'd mastered creating them._

 _When she flung the activated tags at Yugito's form and put distance between them, she was astounded to find the swordsman attempting to intervene, and cut the tags in half. He was successful in preventing the bulk of them from going off, but he missed two, and that was all Ayaka needed. She smirked as she heard the blasts go off. There was no way the two ninja would walk off uninjured from that. Even Kisame would struggle to come out uninjured against that kind of attack. True, he'd have only scratches, but they all couldn't be beasts in sharkman form._

 _When the smoke cleared, Yugito and the swordsman were barely standing. The latter in worse shape, with both his legs ravaged by the blast and his sword shattered. The shards of metal had pierced his body and he was bleeding heavily, she noted. It was certainly not the kind of injury one could heal in the field, during battle. The swordsman at the very least would die here. Yugito was breathing heavily and Ayaka wondered if the girl had cracked a rib, with the way she guarded her chest. Ayaka drew her sword approaching carefully, yet with the calm confidence of a woman that knew she'd won. If Yugito chose to flee, she'd let her go but the swordsman, she could make use of him and solidify her cover. Palming that lip balm that Sasori had given her, she paused to apply it to her lips, thankful she'd taken the antidote to the poison daily just in case as plans and manipulations whirred in her brain. The swordsman eyed her suspiciously and came to the, quite correct assumption in her opinion, that she wasn't going to let him live._

 _"Yugito, run now."_

 _"What? Ryota I can't leave you."_

 _"You have a responsibility to Kumo. Leave now. I can hold her off."_

 _"I refuse! Who is this missing nin bitch anyway?"_

 _"THIS IS AN ORDER YUGITO!"_

 _Yugito fled reluctantly at the man, Ryota's, raised voice as Ayaka approached but not without shooting her a glare. The swordsman raised a brow at Ayaka's relaxed form._

 _"Do not take me lightly woman. I know you aren't one of ours."_

 _"I'm here to offer you a deal Ryota san, and if you agree Yugito will live."_

 _"How and why would I do that?"_

 _She smiled at the man, who could barely stand and motioned towards the west. Two chakra signatures were approaching swiftly, and Ayaka knew they'd be here soon. The swordsman followed her gaze and stiffened visibly._

 _"They'd prioritize getting to your jinchuuriki, if we don't distract them with a show. You're dead anyway, I don't think you could hold me off never mind them."_

 _"What is your name?" He asked dropping to his knees, either in defeat or because he simply couldn't stand anymore. The two things were synonymous in her mind either way._

 _"My name is Ayaka Nara. Remember it." She dropped onto her knees in front of him so that they were staring each other in the eye, her sword ready at her side. In order to do this correctly she would have to time it to happen just as Kakuzu and Hidan got close enough to get a visual on them. She estimated they would be in a second. ANBU Hawk would surely be unimpressed when she reported how she'd solidified her cover but there was only so much she could indulge with archaic customs of propriety on a battlefield._

 _"You're a Leaf?" He asked in disbelief. Ayaka didn't answer, instead reaching for the exhausted swordsman's neck and pulling him into a harsh kiss with her eyes stubbornly shut. The paralysis poison took affect immediately as the Kumo ninja relaxed into her grip with what she hoped looked like defeat and a touching final moment between former lovers. And as she started to hear Hidan's colorful objections to her activities as he neared them, she moved. Swiftly plunging her sword through the man's chest, and releasing him._

 _She opened her eyes, deliberately trying to make the crimson pools seem saddened as the kumo ninja bled out in front of her. Hidan was suddenly silent as he pulled her to her feet, while Kakuzu visibly looked concerned as he looked her over for injuries. She opened her mouth uncertain of how to convey the lie she wished to sell but then decided to wing it._

 _"His name was Ryota." With that she dissolved into fake hysteria as she embraced the startled Jashinist. Kakuzu was offering her reassuring words as Hidan stroked her hair and as for Yugito Nii? She was forgotten, exactly how Ayaka had planned._


	26. Art is an explosion!

**AYAKA**

 _She was ushered into the base still feigning an emotional distress that she felt would be appropriate for a kunoichi of her standing. Kakuzu had, to her astonishment, buried the three fallen kumo ninja despite them each having significant bounties before ordering Hidan to take her back to the base while he took the storage seal and claimed his bounties. Hidan had agreed with surprising haste and had hurried the two of them back._

 _Ayaka was thrilled. Not only had the zombie duo blatantly ignored Yugito fleeing, they truly believed she was traumatized by having to slaughter her former allies and with Hidan witnessing that faked kiss, it would be believed that the swordsman had been her lover. Considering Hidan was falling for her and seemed like he wanted her to kill him in her pursuit of Jashinistic immortality, killing her former lover would only romanticize her image further in the priest's eyes._

 _Hidan kicked open the base, pulling her 'distraught' form along. Although the priest had been astonishingly gentle with her on route towards the base it was clear that he couldn't sympathize nor empathize with her situation. They'd offered a small prayer to Jashin for the sacrifices she'd made today in his name and Hidan had pressed gentle kisses to her temple as Kakuzu buried the dead. Unable to actually deal with her emotional state though, Hidan made the choice to rush her off to Deidera to deal with the emotional crap._

 _She was shoved with more force than necessary through Deidera's doorway as Hidan fled at the sheer horror of potentially expanding his emotional capacity. She almost dropped her facade of despair at the sight that greeted her. Deidera's usually untidy room looked like a war zone, the bed was unmade, the contents of his work desk strewn across the floor while his cloak was half hanging of the ceiling fan. Several dents in the floorboard and walls lead her to believe someone had seriously indulged in utilizing raw chakra to enhance their strength._

 _Deidera stood with his fists in Itachi's shirt as the blonde had apparently slammed that Uchiha against the wall at some point, judging by the crater said Uchiha settled against. Both men's attire was a mess, she would like to assume due to some fight they'd been caught up in but Ayaka knew people. Deidera was the passionate sort and the fact that he'd clearly avoided blowing anything up hinted that this wasn't one of Deidera's many attempts at killing the Uchiha. The Uchiha himself was far too good a shinobi to get slammed into the wall as a result of Deidera's dismal taijutsu regardless. In any case, if the two did square of there'd be no way they'd engage in a taijutsu match given their battle preferences and why the hell was Deidera not wearing his genjutsu scope? Why was Deidera looking into Itachi's eyes with such...intensity?_

 _"OH!" Her exclamation gave her position away to the previously distracted pair._ _She paled visibly as she realized exactly what she may have walked in on and released a sharp squeak by accident at the mental image of Deidera and Itachi engaged in other activities. Both men's heads snapped towards her and before she could even blink Itachi was behind her ready to attack. It was sheer instinct that had her draw her own Katana to block his as she shot Deidera a pointed look to get the situation under control. The steel blades screeched against each other as they both leaped back a little, eyeing each other apprehensively._

 _"Itachi what the fuck, un? Can't you see somethings wrong?" Deidera put himself between them glaring at the Uchiha with the malice than Ayaka had actually believed him capable off. Ignoring the Uchiha in the room, he nodded at Ayaka to state her business gently urging her to take a seat on the bed handing the teary girl tissues which he'd fished out of his desk draw. Itachi was glaring at the blondes antics with annoyance._

 _"She's knows Deidera."_

 _"Who the fuck cares Itachi? I'll still kill you one day either way."_

 _With that, the hostility radiating from the Uchiha dissipated into vague indifference and Ayaka pondered on the dynamics of their, now apparent, relationship. Deciding that she'd pry later during a spar with Deidera, Ayaka spilled her story exactly how she wanted it to be told, thankful for the acting lessons that were compulsory for anyone venturing into ANBU. She mixed the lie with a little truth, basing the backstory of the swordsman on a young Izumo who'd been her childhood infatuation and the first heartbreak that had resulted when he'd inevitably chosen Kotestu over her._

 _"I'm sorry Ayaka chan, un. I'm sure it's hard to kill people you cared for. I'll go get you some of the calming tea Sasori danna made." Deidera replied to her story, patting her head sympathetically, as he shot Itachi a glare, "Behave yourself, un."_

 _"Hn," came Itachi's unsurprising reply as Deidera exited the room. Unfortunately, given how things between her and Itachi usually stood the latter wasted no time in getting on her nerves._

 _"I don't buy it," he said as soon as Deidera was out of earshot. Ayaka stared at the Uchiha in disbelief because of course he would be the one having difficulty with her story._

 _"What don't you buy? That I'm capable of love? That I could kill a loved one? That's rich coming from you." She stood now, hands fisted at her sides as she glared down the kinslayer and shame of ANBU, Itachi "Weasel" Uchiha. A man who's decisions she couldn't understand for the longest time. Why test his superiority against his clan? He'd already known he was stronger than most of them. It didn't make sense that a desire to show his calibre of power and skill would massacre a clan, many of whom weren't active shinobi anyway. He should have gone after ANBU if that was the case, they were in theory the villages elite. No, Itachi hadn't killed his clan for the reason little Sasuke Uchiha claimed. He was a sick man, it could only have been for fun. Probably why he'd left the boy alive too. It disgusted her._

 _"No, I don't buy you needing emotional support. I don't buy you having a guilt trip and Hidan running you to Deidera. You're very much predictable when it comes to doing what needs to be done. You are too good a kunoichi to be this weak," Itachi said coldly and Ayaka froze for a moment realising the base truth in his words. Kakuzu and Hidan had bought things because of what they'd witnessed in person. Deidera was emotional and dramatic to begin with so he hadn't thought it was strange that she'd been so apparently emotional._

 _Yet, Itachi had taken one glance at her and known her emotional state of mind was a ploy at best. If she were honest, Kisame and Sasori would think it too. She'd simply never displayed any kind of remorse for killing someone on the battlefield ever. Which meant, she either had to pretend she would only being weak in front of certain people, which was fine for Hidan, Kakuzu and Deidera. Itachi and the rest however required a harder version of herself or she'd arouse suspicion._

 _"Uchiha, you're annoying. Just let me have my moment," She growled at him, hand twitching slightly. There was something about Itachi Uchiha that really just made her want to kill him, preferably by beheading._

 _"So you were faking it? Is seducing the zealot harder than you thought?" Itachi questioned her, taking a step forward, "Did he pity fuck you yet?"_

 _"Fuck you, Uchiha. You wanna fight? Lets test your steel against mine." She drew her Katana in anger and against every good judgement she'd ever had, she swung towards the Uchiha, giving off killing intent that would no doubt alert the rest of the base of the current situation._

 _Itachi, for his part had never sheathed his katana in the first place, parried the blows she'd launched at him. The sweet song of blades clashing only left her exhilarated as she danced to its tune. How long had it been since she had a proper sword fight? It felt like months, way before she'd become Hidan's apprentice in the way of Jashinism._

 _True, Itachi wasn't fighting his hardest. If he used ninjutsu or dare she admit it, genjutsu, on her she was quite royally screwed. As it was, he'd yet to activate his Sharingan. However the former Leaf ninja seemed determined to best her with his katana as he made a particularly vicious lunge towards her midsection she was forced to meet with equal vigor in order to not be overpowered. The air was laced with killing intent and through her weak periphery sensing she could feel, Sasori, Kisame, Hidan and Deidera heading their way either to stop them or cheer them on. Deidera was first to get to the room, Sasori on his heels as Itachi slashed wide, forcing her to back bend. Working the momentum into her favour she continued into a perfect flip, purposely kicking Itachi in the face before righting her self. Itachi barely noted the blow and swung wide again, forcing her to twist out of the way, her long hair flaring outward and getting caught in his Katana's path. Dark brown strands fell to the floor as she tried to stab the Uchiha while swearing profusely._

 _Kisame entered the room then, and took one look at Sasori, in his actual puppet body, restraining a livid Deidera while she and Itachi quite literally tried to cut each other into ribbons, then leaned back onto the cratered wall. She wasn't paying attention to the way he nervously palmed Samehade, ready to stop things before they went too far but not actually wanting to intervene a fair fight._

 _Yet, they were already going too far, in her opinion. Itachi was the toughest fight shed ever had in her life, the young man had clearly a good mastery of his blade even if he only used the standard ANBU style of swordsmanship the Leaf had standardized. To compensate she had to resort to sending excessive amounts of raw chakra to her limbs, allowing each of her strikes to become much more powerful than she should be able to muster. Her personal sword style was an amalgamation of styles paired with her flexibility in her manoeuvres, something Itachi was clearly having trouble predicting._

 _By the time Hidan strolled in, the pair of them were using a dangerous amount of chakra in reinforcing their attacks. Itachi seemed tired, his breathing heavier than she would've thought possible. She herself was fatigued from her chakra use, not just during this spar but from her earlier fight with the Kumo ninja. Yugito's blows had definitely done her some damage earlier, and the initially dull aches were now painfully sharp stabs. She knew she was at her limit, and no matter how out of breath Itachi sounded, she couldn't win. Still she gritted her teeth and drove her blade forward anyway in frustration, feeling it slice barely through the skin on Itachi's arm. She internally snorted, of course her only hit to land would be a scratch and from a wild lunge. Itachi didn't even seem to notice she'd drawn blood at all, and was attempting to disembowel her while she leaped backward creating some breathing room for herself._

 _Still it seemed like someone else had noticed the blood drawn as a third flash of killing intent hit the room heavily engulfing their own signatures. Sasori, who'd been restraining Deidera went flying into Hidan as the blonde finally reached the limits of his patience. Kisame made a move to stop Deidera as she and Itachi stared in horror at the number of miniature clay creatures Deidera had managed to create and fill the room in. When had he made those? Had they always been lurking in his room? How had Sasori not noticed? Never mind Sasori, Kisame and Hidan were here too._

 _"Dei kun, don't!" She yelped, forgetting Itachi for the moment, staring at the room in horror._

 _"Sasori, get that fucking brat under control! Hidan yelled as he threw Sasori's puppet body at the bomber and began stomping at the mini clay bombs._

 _"Deidera put the clay away!" Kisame ordered, trying to reason with the blonde before Sasori's body collided with him. Sasori attempted to catch Deidera with his chakra threads but the blonde evaded. Kisame swore, as he realised it was a lost cause._

 _"Deidera!" Itachi yelled out as well but it was too late. Deidera shot him a particularly nasty look._

 _"Katsu! Art is an explosion!"_

 _The resulting explosion, rocked the base and hit everyone. Ayaka found herself buried under rubble as she swore that she was going to place the blonde in anger management._

 _At least, if Kakuzu didn't kill them all first._


	27. The sin of a saint

**AYAKA**

 _She was dragged out the rubble by her elbows a full 5 minutes and 38 seconds later, coughing dirt and cursing the Uchiha and the blonde bomber vehemently. What had Deidera been thinking? Setting off that kind of jutsu in a cave? It was basically a suicide jutsu at that point. To her absolute mortification however, it was apparent that only she had been caught in the blast. Deidera was knocked out, his body limply held by Sasori's chakra strings but otherwise the pair was unharmed. The Uchiha was leaning on some rubble, looking fatigued but clearly not enough to get caught up in the rubble that she'd been dragged out off. Kisame was at his side looking particularly peeved at the remains of the base that had been destroyed. As for Hidan, who'd pulled her out, he was a little dusty but had quite obviously cleared the blast in the nick of time, barely a hair on his head misplaced._

 _"Grab your designated bratling, we're travelling separately. We're headed for the next base, I'll send word to Pein and Konan. Kakuzu will deal with these three there," Sasori ordered. Ayaka didn't need three guesses as to who the bratlings were, it was beyond evident with the way she and Deidera were dragged away by Hidan and Sasori respectively without further discussion. Itachi maintained some form of pride as Kisame didn't dare drag the former Leaf ninja around, but judging by Kisame's facial expression, Itachi had certainly earned a lecture from the elder swordsman and Ayaka found herself wondering if she'd missed part of the conversation._

 _Thus, the three youngest members of the base found themselves at the mercy of their travelling partner's ire._

 _"I leave you with your friends for less than a fucking hour to deal with your shit and you three cunts destroy the fucking base? What the fuck, Ayaka?" Hidan was leading her away swiftly, practically dragging her around heading toward the waterfall she knew that was in the general direction they were heading to, only about two hours away running. The early afternoon air was uncomfortably warm and she was covered in dirt and grit. A good soak in the waterfall and the lake it flowed into would be great, if only Hidan would quit his bitching._

 _"Itachi picked the damn fight Hidan. You know it wasn't me," she said in exasperation, yanking back her arm and settling into a run. Hidan matched her pace easily although clearly still annoyed with her. She palmed a Kunai distractedly trimming her ruined hair as they ran._

 _"You are not close to being on par with Itachi nor Deidera despite how your spars may go, don't be a fucking idiot. Those idiots are both the kind of fuckers that will die young. I can't afford to let you die too." Hidan looked at her directly now, never braking his pace. She didn't dare meet his eyes, unsure of what she may find reflected in them. She maintained her silence sulkily for the bulk of the journey, only speaking once they neared their destination._

 _"In a sword fight I could win," she replied knowing how Hidan would respond to that and knowing he wouldn't be wrong._

 _"We are fucking shinobi! You think you can face of against the Uchiha? Deidera? Me? As you are now? Don't fuck around. I'd rip you apart on a fucking whim." They slowed down now nearing the waterfall Ayaka was certain they'd make camp for, at least for tonight. Still avoiding eye contact, Ayaka prayed to Jashin Hidan wouldn't dare take her up on her promise to kill him tonight. She was exhausted from the fights, the emotional manipulation, the stupid fake identity and the relationship with a man she would inevitably betray. Life with the Akatsuki was constant survival mode. Everyone was stronger than her and everyone could kill her. She was on thin ice already and realistically she was aware there was not much more she could learn about Itachi at this point. No doubt they'd be instructed to avoid each other as much as possible from this point forward._

 _"What is your problem really Hidan?" She sighed, not honestly expecting an answer, as she began to strip off her clothes. Hidan looked away from her, his face pink, as she quickly rinsed out her garments and headed of into the water. The question was left hanging in the air as she waited for Hidan to join her. He would, she had little doubt. Things hadn't progressed to full on love making between the two of them, Hidan being the religious man that he was. Yet, she also knew the allure of her bare flesh would be something that Hidan could not blatantly ignore. If Jashin's champion would ever sin, it would be at her side and her name on his lips. She was well aware of the way she could influence the violet eyed ninja. Her gaze finally met his as he stripped down, joining her in the cool water._

 _"My problem is you," He said quietly as he advanced towards her, their gazes locked both of them equally defiant. If Ayaka had to compare it to anything it felt like a predator descending upon something equally carnivorous. She raised a brow as she looked up at her lover._

 _"Me, you say?" She asked innocently, backing away, playful smirk on her face despite the seriousness of his expression and her exhaustion. She noticed his eyes narrow as he pursued her into the deeper water forcing her backward. She knew the rocky face of the waterfall cliff was behind her, she'd be a poor kunoichi if she were to accidentally allow herself to be trapped. The move was calculated on both their parts and she noticed Hidan visibly relax as she allowed him to finally invade her space._

 _"First you slay your Kumo lover and now you go after Itachi despite it being me you promised death to. How should I feel about that, hmm?" Hidan asked running his hands down her sides, rising a shiver from her than had nothing to do with the cooling of the breeze as the day started to turn to night._

 _Hidan was a striking sight against the the crimson sky as the sun began to sink behind the distant peaks of the mountain range in her gaze. His violet eyes shone, an emotion lingering there that she couldn't quite place as she laced her own hands lazily around his neck. The grey haired man hadn't bothered keeping his hair dry and she played with the damp strands as his arms pulled her flush against him._

 _"Does Jashin kami call upon me for your head yet? I did promise him it," She teased gently, despite knowing the seriousness of the topic. His smirk softened indulgently as he leaned into her and she could swear he was about to kiss her before he paused._

 _"Not yet, but he will someday and I bet even Jashin himself cannot judge for certain the outcome of that fight. Somehow though I find myself betting you'd be a true Jashinist by the end of it, one way or the other." It was only then that he did kiss her, a chaste little thing that left her frowning at her brooding lover locked in her arms._

 _"What if I didn't kill you? What if I refused?" To say Hidan was astounded at the notion, was putting it lightly. His jaw dropped, almost comically, as he stared at her with blatant confusion and perhaps a little awe._

 _"You wouldn't be a Jashinist then, not a true one," Hidan's tone was laced with disapproval that would've drawn a chuckle from her if she'd wasn't aware that her words had somehow turned on the Jashinist priest, who usually had the self restraint of a saint. His aroused manhood was pressing against her, almost distracting her entirely from the seriousness of the situation. Suddenly she was aware that based on how she responded to his words tonight, she could either make or ruin the Jashinist priest happiness for the foreseeable future. Which was why, despite the consequences, she went with the cruelest reply she could give the grey haired man. The complete and uncensored truth._

 _"Hidan, I only feel religion when I'm with you," she replied seriously and felt the sharp intake of breath cut though the silence as Hidan finally let her words and their implications fully sunk in. Hidan's touch went from gentle to almost harsh as his lips captured hers again and this time, he didn't hold back his desires. He touched kissed and groped her with reckless abandon only pausing when she let out a particularly loud moan of pleasure as he nipped at her nick._

 _Lips still against her sensitive skin, he all but growled at her. "This is sin."_

 _"Thank Jashin we aren't saints then," she replied, rolling her hips against his, taking pleasure in the shudder she felt in response from him. She almost couldn't believe he was actually allowing things to go down this road but then again, immortal or not, Hidan was still just a man. An attractive and dangerous man that she enjoyed far too much for her safety's sake._

 _"I won't be gentle. I can't be," he promised her as she wordlessly nodded her acceptance of his intentions and pressed her lips to his once more. Hidan accepted her invitation enthusiastically, forcing her against the rocky walls as he harshly exerted his dominance over her. She was so overwhelmed by the attention he was giving the rest of her body that she wasn't expecting the pain that came from him slamming into her. She gasped in surprise. Her red eyes widened as she realized that Hidan was indeed serious._

 _"Hidan, I can't…" She whimpered as he moved, aware that he wouldn't stop now. She gritted her teeth as she tensed her body beneath his movements, enduring the pain that was fading gradually with every harsh thrust. His lips murmured softly for her to relax, in sharp contrast to his brutal pace as she did her best to comply._

 _She wasn't sure exactly when things began to feel good but when her whimpers became moans and her back arched deliciously to press her body firmly against his, she was astounded to see a flicker of brief relief cross Hidan's features._

 _"Like that huh?" He gloated, giving her a rare soft smile that completely mismatched the harsh way he drove into her._

 _"Shut up, Hidan", she groaned out as she clawed his back to emphasize her point. Sex was something she was going to have to do, as an agent in seduction. She was expected to use love and lust as a weapon against her target but never had she expected it to feel this good. She was grateful Hidan had taken her first time rather than some random ANBU during training. Sure, she'd have the option of taking things into her own hands but Hana and Shiho both lacked the required anatomy and there was nobody outside her team she trusted now that Kotetsu and Izumo were an item._

 _Still, her body pressed between the rocky wall and Hidan's chiseled body felt so damn right that her moans were escalating just thinking about it. She locked her legs around his waist pulling him in for a kiss as Hidan threatened to send her over the edge._

 _"Hidan, I want to…," She never did get to finish that statement as suddenly every muscle in her body was clenching while she cried out incoherently. Her climax initiated his own as he groaned out while she clenched around him._

 _"Oh fuck yeah, Jashin."_

 _Hidan lifted her embarrassingly limp form and made his way out of the water, fighting back a grin. She rolled her eyes at him as he set her down and handed her the battle kimono she'd set aside earlier to dry. The material was a little damp, but with a little use of a warming jutsu she heated up her skin, allowing the kimono to release a little steam._

 _"Damn, did I ever tell you that you're fucking hot." She let out a laugh as she stared at her zealot fondly. Hidan was setting up camp, apparently for her benefit. Between the fight with the kumo ninja, trying to behead Itachi, getting buried alive by Deidera and her recent extra curricular activities with Hidan, her stamina was at its limits. It was beyond frustrating to know that Hidan could probably still endure a run to wherever the hell the hell they were heading to._

 _"Hidan, where are we heading to?"_

 _"The next base is the one in Ame. We don't have any reason to be in fire country, yet. Iwa would be an option but the rest are going to want to meet you first."_

 _"What?! I thought we'd be traveling to another base in rice country."_

 _"Nah, Deidera fucked ours up and Orochimaru's been too active in this area in the past to make a new one."_

 _Ayaka lit the fire at their small campsite with a small jutsu as Hidan laid out a single bedroll for her. She frowned at the sight._

 _"You need rest too you know."_

 _"Not as much as you do."_

 _"Please, we're in the middle of nowhere in rice country and Deidera made one hell of a distraction earlier. No shinobi is going to attack us tonight, they'd be investigating that damned blast," she complained a she eased herself into her bedroll, motioning Hidan to join her._

 _Hidan nodded at her explanation sitting down beside her as she propped herself up on her elbow._

 _"As much as I agree, you aren't at your best now. Sleep and let me and Jashin watch over you."_

 _"That's surprisingly sweet. Who knew a little loving softened the big bad zombie?" She teased him, letting her fingers intertwine with his before she got serious, "Are Itachi, Deidera and I in trouble?"_

 _"Fuck yeah, Kakuzu is gonna tan your hides if the fact that those two are fucking doesn't give him a heart attack. Or us fucking. Whatever, the miser has spares. Leader will probably give Itachi and Deidera beat down. Maybe stick them with Tobi for a week."_

 _"Tobi?"_

 _"He's like you. A member but not really. Doesn't have a ring since the snake bastard ran off with his."_

 _"So, I won't get in trouble for the base?"_

 _"Itachi will probably insist on getting your past checked up. He was bitching about your sword style not baring any hint of Kumo standard," Hidan frowned, "Kisame agreed with him about your sword style."_

 _Ayaka felt a flash of fear go through her as she fought to keep her grip on Hidan's hand relaxed. She schooled every feature she had in an expression of neutrality before she contemplated her response. Of course, Itachi was suspicious of her and his instincts were right. She'd never dare use the Konoha standard, but she also hadn't used Kumo's either. Her style was somewhat unique, something she'd tailored to favor her flexibility and speed. She'd thought using her signature style would keep her from being labeled as a Leaf but apparently, Itachi being the paranoid freak he was, had decided it didn't make her a Kumo ninja._

 _"I'll be interrogated when we get there?" She asked, a small grimace on her face._

 _"Nah, we're hanging back a bit for Kakuzu. Sasori will probably do a thorough background check before we get there. I doubt they'd interrogate you when Sasorí proves you are who you say you are."_

 _Now she did grimace, thankful Hidan was looking away. At this point, her alias was as good as compromised the moment Sasori started digging into her past. She'd already decided it would be useless to pry any information from Itachi at this point. Fortune at least favored her in one sense. She was alone with Hidan for now, if she happened to escape before Kakuzu rendezvoused with the pair of them she doubted that Hidan could track her._

 _"What if they don't like what the dig up on me?" She queried._

 _"Don't worry, Jashin tells me everything will work in your favour," he replied and though she couldn't quite see his face, she had the impression the Jashinist was smiling while he traced soft circles on her hand. She smiled softly, while Jashin's faith in her was welcome and Hidan's, she wouldn't blindly rely on it. If anything, she would try her hardest to escape the next day. She would betray him or die trying, and she wasn't going to hesitate. It left her feeling oddly hollow, knowing that she was the kind of person that could do it, to manipulate someone she might love. There'd been an emotional connection and a genuine attraction between Hidan and her. Yet, she was Ayaka Nara of the Leaf and he was Hidan of the Akatsuki. Deidera. Sasori. Kisame. Kakuzu. All of them were Akatsuki, free in a way she could never be dare she risk giving up on everything she'd ever wanted to achieve as a kunoichi of the Leaf._

 _"Hidan?" She sat up now serious as she awaited his gaze to meet hers._

 _"Yeah?" He responded unsure of her sudden seriousness. The zealot's expressions never did hide a single emotion she realised. She wondered how he'd look when he realized she was gone._

 _"Thank you for being who you are. I truly wish I was like you," she confessed, earning a raised brow from Hidan._

 _"I can't believe I have to say this, but I love you the way you fucking are." Hidan said seriously, light blush staining his face as Ayaka gawked at him._

 _"You love me?" She questioned in awe, unaware that she was leaning towards the Jashinist._

 _"Fuck off. Like you should question that after today. You're sin itself!" He growled at her as she drew him in her arms, pulling Jashin's champion into a sudden kiss, distracting him entirely. Secretly, she was glad he hadn't noticed the tears she'd not allow herself to shed as she surrendered to him a second time, deepening the kiss with exhaustion forgotten._


	28. Thank you

**AYAKA**

 _The next day Ayaka prepped for the inevitable with steely resolve. She had been amused to find the Jashinist priest half-asleep in her arms in the morning. Their late night antics lead to them lingering in their campsite for longer than they usually would have. Kakuzu and Hidan almost never stayed put and Ayaka found this slightly more carefree version of Hidan a bit unnerving. She couldn't quite put a label on it but Hidan seemed like he was riding on some kind of a high. It was awfully convenient that the Jashinist was letting his guard down. Still, she urged him out of the bedroll, seeing as she still needed to dress and arm herself. Plus, she was not certain she was stealthy enough to escape him without fighting a back little._

 _She only had one chance, realistically. Sasori would reach the Ame base soon. She had to escape before Sasori could have a chance to research her and communicate with Hidan. She also knew Kakuzu was on his way to them and there would literally be zero possibility of her escaping the former Taki ninja. Additionally, she needed to prevent from Hidan from communicating with anyone long enough for her to escape. It was no small task, what she'd have to accomplish to escape._

 _Absentmindedly smearing the lip balm Sasori had given her onto her lips as she packed up her bedroll, she glanced around looking for her katana. To her alarm, she found it in Hidan's hands, with the zealot was looking at the weapon intently. Had he found the stash of poison and antidote in the hilt? Her dosage from the previous day should still be in her system but she preferred to keep her antidote close. Gritting her teeth nervously, she walked up to the Jashinist, ready to reclaim her weapon of choice._

 _"I believe that's mine, Hidan." She informed him coolly, hands on her hips. The violet-eyed man rolled his eyes at her stance and then willingly handed the katana back, looking sheepish._

 _"Relax woman, I just added a little something to it." Hidan smiled at her, before glancing down at his feet with evident embarrassment written across his features._

 _"Is this? Hidan, is this your rosary?" She asked incredulously. Sure enough, the amulet that had been attached to a string of rosary beads was wrapped tightly into the dark material that covered the hilt of her favored katana._

 _"Kakuzu the fucking bastard miser said I should give you something with meaning. This symbolizes a promise I want you to make for me." Hidan glared at her, daring her to object._

 _"What promise?" She asked stressed by the request already._

 _"Promise, when Jashin calls me home, you'll live for me." Ayaka's face paled at his request. So Jashin still felt she'd kill his champion or at least Hidan believed it so._

 _"Of course," she whispered back, wondering if she was a bad person for what she was about to do. For what she was choosing to do, grip tightening on her katana._

 _"I fucking love you." It was all it took for her to hesitate as her heart literally ripped in two, a lone tear running down her face. Hidan took it all in, his features uncharacteristically schooled as he awaited a response from the woman he had just confessed to loving._

 _"I wish I was like you," with that she launched herself at her lover who caught her in surprise as her lips latched against his drawing him into a tainted kiss. Hidan was an s-class warrior. Hidan was a member of the Akatsuki. Hidan was an immortal. Hidan was complacent. Hidan was easily fooled. Hidan loved her. Ayaka could take advantage of all of these things and she would. No matter how terrible a person it made her._

 _She was a kunoichi, love and other whimsical notions with missing nin were damned from the very start. She'd marry for politics one day and be lucky if she had a choice in the matter. Oh, she'd push her favored candidate definitely but would she love that man? Who knew if it would be possible now? Hidan was a luxury she didn't deserve to have experienced._

 _When she felt the priest's knees buckle and his form grow limp she gently lowered him, eyes glistening with tears as his violet ones glared back, with panic. Righting the grey haired man to sit upright and leaning against a tree, she crouched before him, making sure their gazes met._

 _"Thank Sasori because I appreciate his poisons." She smirked at him tapping her lower lip, then reaching for ninja wire as she tied him to the tree._

 _"Thank Kakuzu for the lessons in strategy," she continued; contemplating Hidan's trapped form while tightening the wires enough to dig in to his skin. Then she unsheathed her katana, looking admiring the blade in the sunlight feeling his gaze on her._

 _"Thank Kisame for his swordsmanship," she said softly as she slashed down on Hidan's legs severing them with a raw chakra enhanced blow that she would never have considered using before fighting the former Kiri swordsman. The sound of skin, bone and flesh being cut through had never bothered her as much as it did now but still she hardened her resolve now that she'd drawn blood._

 _"Thank Itachi for the heartlessness," she said in her best impression of Itachi's monotone look as she tossed his severed legs a good few meters away from his body in opposite directions, her gaze locked on his paralyzed face._

 _"Thank Deidera for these explosive tags," she said as she rose laughing manically, activating and tossing a number of explosive tags with a preset detonator, into the air with her katana still held tightly in anticipation._

 _"Thank Jashin for you're life." Her katana slashed at his neck, giving him a killing blow that she knew would not kill him._

 _"Thank yourself for loving me," and with that she bent and pressed a soft kiss to his temple as she smiled at him sadly, wishing that he could talk or even curse back at her. Hidan had not moved and despite the man's limp form, she knew she should not linger any longer as she turned her back on Jashin's champion. Her detonators would go off soon and she needed to cover as much distance as possible. Still there was one more lie she needed to sell for this to work. There was one person the Akatsuki detested and who better to make a scapegoat then the former snake sannin and traitor to the Leaf._

 _"Orochimaru sends his regards."_

 _With that she sprinted off, raw chakra enhancing her pace. She only glanced back when she heard the blasts of her, admittedly weak, tags. After all, she'd only wanted to bury the man under the rubble generated from the explosion, a small vengeance on him for letting her be trapped in Deidera's small bout of insanity._

 _"Thank you," she whispered with a smile at the plumes, knowing in her gut Hidan would be okay until they met again and that Kakuzu would track him down soon enough._

 _Sasori. Itachi. Kakuzu. Deidera. Kisame. Hidan. They'd be okay. Better than okay. S-class ninja like them wouldn't take her betrayal lightly. If anything, it would force them to avoid becoming complacent at the very least._

 _Ayaka, the missing ninja, was lost to the Akatsuki._

 _It was time for Ayaka Nara of the Leaf to return to building her legacy._

 **[AN AND SO ENDS THE AKATSUKI ARC]**


	29. The Senju compound

**TSUNADE**

The Senju compound had been a lonely estate for a number of years long after Tobirama had disbanded the clan. The loneliness of the estate was usually eerie to the point where Tsunade herself preferred to sleep over at Shizune's modest apartment whenever her young apprentice would indulge her. Now the place was full, albeit with highly irritable and unhappy shinobi and kunoichi alike. On the one hand keeping everyone isolated until they came to a general consensus was a good idea. On the other hand, nobody was in the mood to be within close proximity of each other.

Ino Yamanaka had sectioned of the compounds living room prioritizing the treatment of her father and senpai, both of whom's vitals were doing a lot better. On Tsunade's orders, Ino had invaded Inoichi's mind to try and access Ayaka's memories through a third party. The tenacious blonde had exceeded all expectations Tsunade had actually had placed upon her. While Sakura was her most talented apprentice, a genius in her own right, and Shizune had been dedicated to the medical arts for years, Ino Yamanaka had never quite measured up. Ino was a fair medical field ninja, but ultimately the girl was a Yamanaka through and through and her talent in her clan jutsu showed as the heiress used the jutsu her father would only grudgingly utilize with ease to invade Inoichi's mind space.

Although the Yamanaka Heiress hadn't given a report, it was clear it had worked given that she'd immediately thrown everyone out of the room after her attempt. Tsunade would get Ino's report when the blonde medic was ready seeing as Neji Hyuuga had taken it upon himself to guard said room. The Hyuuga prodigy and Yamanaka heiress were blatantly hostile towards Shikaku Nara who was trying, very much in vain to get an update on the state of his closest friend, his ward and what Ino now knew. She wondered where that comrady had initiated. The Hyuuga boy was not one to socialize with the Yamaka heiress to her knowledge. Yet, here the pair were, displaying absolute alegaince.

In the guest room laid Shikamaru Nara who'd been on the receiving room from one of the nastiest brews of a banned cyanide cocktail. She was astounded Kurenai was even risking keeping it lying around in her bedroom. Although, fair enough if she felt threatened in her own bedroom, she doubted said threat would survive her own wrath. Shikamaru would live, but only through sheer dumb luck. Instead of the potassium cyanide bonding to the ferric ions in his Cytochrome C Oxidase, it had bonded with Shikamaru's met-hemoglobin. Kurenai had taken this slim possibility into account, and had added in a a strong paralysis agent to her cyanide cocktail as a fail safe, leaving Shikamaru in a comatose state while his body worked off the the remaining poison. There were the odd side affects but it wasn't anything Yoshino herself wouldn't be able to handle.

Truly, she was impressed with Kurenai's initiative and would be developing an antidote for her at a later stage. She hadn't encountered such an annoying poison since the Lady Chiyo of Suna had retired. Kurenai was like a breath of fresh air to the whole poison-making game as well since Chiyo's grandson went rogue.

Said red eyed kunoichi was facing down Shikamaru's mother and his sensei daringly, considering she was still in her nightdress. Tsunade made a mental note to offer her a kimono soon, not at all missing the way that Asuma's eyes lingered on the irate kunoichi's form.

Asuma was outright puzzled by the situation, having not been briefed yet. However, the Jonin did acknowledge that his student had sought him out to help against something that he'd found unjust. The wind user was glancing around the room, with the subtle paranoia of a seasoned ninja, aware that there had been a number of incidents surrounding his lovers niece. Asuma wasn't naive indeed, and his tension wasn't something Tsunade felt the urge to keep in check. Asuma Sarutobi was the kind of man that could and most definitely would question a kage. Tsunade didn't want that kind of headache just yet.

Yoshino was clearly distraught. A fairly accomplished medic ninja in her time, she recognized the danger that Shikamaru had been in and what could have happened to Ayaka if Ino Yamanaka hadn't taken charge when she had. Tsunade herself was vaguely offended. Sure, she wasn't privy to Yamanaka clan secrets but she, the greatest medic Nin alive, wouldn't have done any harm to neither Inoichi nor Ayaka.

Shizune and Sakura were left to handle things at the hokage tower, the former with an uncharacteristic look of glee on her face as she promised to assign missions in her places. If Tsunade felt any pity for a particularly ambitious Hyuuga, she didn't show it and bid her ward the best of luck. Everything had been taken care off, or so she had thought.

She'd been ill prepared for the surprise of a harsh looking Hana Inuzuka and Shiho to walk up to the Senju compound and knock on the door. Tsunade had forgotten that she'd sent the processing of the ninja that had attacked Ayaka through cryptology.

It was obvious from Shiho's form the girl had run herself rugged looking for her old genin teammate. If Tsunade had to bank on anything, when Hana Inuzuka an arguable prodigy herself, had gotten word of Ayaka Nara being missing midst the chaos that Shikamaru had caused by getting poisoned by Ayaka's aunt, she'd dropped everything to help the blonde get answers. Tsume's eldest was one hell of a tracker after all and Tsunade would be impressed at their initiative if they weren't all intruding on her property.

Knuckles cracking threateningly, Tsunade offered several curses to the universe as she realised that all her sake was either at the hokage tower of at Shizune's. She really needed to convince someone to take this damned hat.

 **INO**

Ino was reeling from what she'd seen of her senpai's memories in the mind space of her father as she looked after the pair with Neji on self designated guard duty. The Yamanaka mind jutsu's were dangerous and she'd always known that some people could develop resistance to mental intrusions. Whoever the ANBU Hawk had been, whenever he'd mentally manipulated, tampered with or accessed Ayaka's memories he'd have to maintain perfect emotional control in order to get passed the natural resistance he'd helped Ayaka develop in her mind space. Yet, that level of emotional coldness, who or what could achieve that?

Obviously, she'd heard rumors of her long dead Yamanaka clan members who'd utilize less than subtle means of mental persuasion during the warring clans era with horrifying results on enemy and allies alike. Today, it was forbidden to try to use repetitive subconscious suggestion, because the human brain could only take so much before it instinctively fought back, and Ayaka's wasn't just fighting back defensively. It was attacking, taking advantage of Inoichi's weaknesses.

Her father was an empathetic man, and hadn't been able to keep his emotions at the necessary level of neutrality. Normally it wasn't a problem, people usually did not have a developed enough defense to keep out or subdue a Yamanaka Jonin. Ayaka's mind space was apparently a special case and had literally forced her chakra into Inoichi's at his weakness through her compromised chakra system, as Inoichi's attempted to do the same in instinctive retaliation. It was a kin to forcing killing intent into one's brain, essentially a strictly taboo act within the Yamanaka clan.

Yet, despite all logic, Ayaka was winning, a clear sign that she was very resistant to her clan's customs. Who had been the Yamanaka that had repeatedly entered her mind so many times that Ayaka had to develop, probably without even knowing it, one of the most forbidden mental defenses her clan had outright banned and reevaluated their customs before Konoha had even been founded? Ino wouldn't let this go, never mind the other questionable things she'd seen of Ayaka's past, her friend had been violated by her clansmen no less.

"Neji, take a look At Ayaka's chakra system. What do you see?" She asked her silent companion.

"It's a mess in her arm, disrupting her coils completely with how much chakra she's used lately. Shes not going to be able to use more than c-rank jutsu at this rate." Neji hadn't left his position guarding the door but his byakugan was active.

"Lee has a compromised chakra system?" She inquired, thoughtful as she contemplated Ayaka's injury.

"He cannot channel chakra at all into a jutsu. He can still use shape manipulation." Neji explained now turning around, clearly intrigued by Ino's line of questioning.

"Ayaka will still be able to use shape and nature manipulation. But molding it will be a problem. Unless…," Ino pondered, imagining scenarios.

"Unless what, Yamanaka?" Neji demanded

"If we loosen her tenketsu points deliberately – ," Ino began before Neji cut her off.

"If you do that, she will never use ninjutsu again!" He replied angrily.

"As I was saying, Hyuuga, if we loosen her tenketsu she could literally blast fire chakra from any point on her body. Ayaka has always had a high chakra capacity for a kunoichi." Ino explained, with a glare.

"What of her clan jutsu? Or genjustu?" Neji asked, challenge decorating his tone.

"We can leave the tenketsu in her other arm untouched. She could still weave seals, anyway she favors yang chakra use over yin. I don't think that she'd mind giving up those two. She's never relied on them," Ino retaliated.

"She wants to take over her clan. She needs the Nara jutsu." Neji sighed now, his byakugan focusing on a figure outside the room. Ino didn't need to use any mind techniques to know he was focusing on the Nara's.

"Neji, I haven't ever seen her use the Nara jutsu but Shika has, I mean he complains a lot about her not having taken clan lessons in years, and Shikaku would never let her do that if she wasn't at least proficient. There's a good probability shes mastered them, you know, and adapted them for her style of fighting." Ino flicked her hair dramatically as she finished her speech despite the lack of appreciative audience.

"How likely is that?" Neji asked eyes still fixed at something Ino couldn't sense.

"Neji, she challenged Shikaku to a formal fight for the right to be heir. That's not a fight she could fight without using any Nara jutsu. Ayaka could be over confident but honestly after what I've witnessed, she has the ability."

"The Akatsuki right?" Neji asked, byakugan still following something although his body language lacked the intensity she expected if it were Shikaku he was observing.

"Them and her teammates. There were little snippets of memories of her team in my father accidentally accessed in his periphery that are concerning but I'll need medical records and death certificates to check things," Ino replied honestly.

"You might get your chance. They're headed here." Neji quirked a brow at something he couldn't see again.

"What, really? Warn me sooner dammit. I wanted to brief the Hokage first. Fuck it," Ino growled, rushing out of the room with a last glance at her patients to make sure they were still stable.

When she heard the sound of Tsunade voice grow in anger as she pushed past the Hyuuga, she winced knowing her revelations were not going to improve anyone's moods even if it did clear her senpai's name.

Eyeing, Hana Inuzuka and the soon to be Shiho Inuzuka warily, she wondered exactly how many people she was going to have to investigate thoroughly to clear Ayaka of anything suspicious ever. Even if it meant outing the dirty little secrets of her senpai's former team.


	30. The frustrations of a Hyuuga

**[A/n Technically this was meant to be part of the previous chapter but I've neglected our favorite Hyuuga for too long so he gets his own chapter to voice his frustrations. As always, reviews are love!]**

 **NEJI**

Torture is an act or practice of inflicting severe pain on someone as a punishment or in order to force them to do, say or reveal something. As a branch member of the Hyuuga clan, he had thought he'd experienced all forms of torture. Since the day he'd seen his father subject to that seal, he had thought he'd discovered his limits. He didn't think he'd ever be sensitive to witnessing the act. How wrong he'd been.

True torture was watching your betrothed being mentally violated on your hokage's orders. Sure, he'd understood the necessity of it even as Shikamaru fled with his mother on his heels. It didn't mean he had to like it though as his mind-space villainified everyone around him for allowing it to occur in the first place.

Ayaka Nara, with her red eyes and pretty face was the last person he thought would be subject to such an atrocity. She was a loyal kunoichi. Not just a mere Jonin, but ANBU.

At first she'd done a fairly good job at maintaining the illusion of not being affected but then suddenly she let out a screech so intense he'd activated his Byakugan on mere instinct. His younger self would've been mortified at his blatant show of weakness. His current self though stared on in silent awe as he observed her body natural defenses fight against Inoichi's invasion the moment the blonde showed a moment of weakness. Each break Inoichi took to report back and her defense got stronger to the point that Neji had been forced to intervene, gentle fist blocking her chakra from further damaging her already compromised network. Grimacing the entire time at the foreign names that she'd murmured on occasion with varying degrees of fondness, he was strangely uncomfortable with the entire situation.

Then the shit literally hit the fan.

Inoichi had decided to go through her memories of the mission in bulk, despite it meaning he'd be exposed to other memories in his periphery, not to mention it would be straining on both their bodies. When the Hokage and Shikaku granted permission for things to proceed he'd gritted his teeth once more, watching with disapproval. His disapproval quickly turned to horror as he watched Ayaka's chakra and Inoichi's do battle, the latter's struggling. When both their vitals began to fail, his Byakugan saw it the same time that Tsunade did.

Even though everything he'd ever learnt as a shinobi was calling on him to obey his Hokage and Jonin commander, everything he knew and felt was right in his heart demanded he take a stand. Placing himself between the two incapacitated jonin locked in the equivalent of mental warfare and one of the legendary sannin, he had no illusion that Tsunade could and would utterly and completely destroy him if she disagreed with him on his opinion to summon a Yamanaka medic. To his relief, she agreed ordering Shikaku to summon Inoichi's daughter immediately.

The jonin commander had barely opened the doorway when a scantily clad Kurenai Yuuhi burst into the room and landed a sharp blow to the Jonin commander's head, to which said man retaliated with a raised knee to her torso as an Ino Yamanaka vocalized her confusion to the room. The blonde kunoichi barely noted anyone else in the room as she rushed towards her father and senpai, hands glowing a minty green as Neji and Tsunade moved to help her manoevre her patients. Barking out orders, the two blonde medics worked hastily at stabilizing the patients. Tsunade, amazingly was differing to the Yamanaka heir's orders with clinical professionalism Neji had never before seen her display.

"We need to get them to the hospital," Kurenai's voice cut through his distracted thoughts with the sharpness of steel. Neji was about the voice his agreement with her when three voices distinctly growled out their disagreement.

Still working on Ayaka, the hokage objection made him seethe, "This interrogation isn't over. We will relocate to the Senju compound." Before Neji could object, Ino interjected.

"I don't care much for this interrogation, I can easily access my father's if he's this far gone... but they're using forbidden techniques. That's going to be difficult to explain, to my clan and to medics. Ideally, I wouldn't move them but the Senju compound is closer than the hospital if we must." Ino's hands were on her hips, challenging anyone to dare question her logic. Neji found himself vaguely satisfied when Ino's harsh blue eyes lingered on Shikaku Nara's form a bit longer than anyone else.

"We don't know the exact reasons Ayaka was attacked or on whose orders it was. The hospital isn't a good location to defend. I'd like to move my son too, since Yuuhi here couldn't show restraint." Neji was surprised by the suggestion making sense and Kurenai's raised middle finger at his verbal shot at her. True, Neji knew Shikaku was a smart man but he had seemed a little biased when it came to Ayaka. Then again it did seem like his son was also his priority.

When all was said and done, relocating everyone to the Senju compound went a lot smoother than he'd anticipated. He'd helped Ino commandeer the Hokage's living room, deciding not to question why the Hokage carried around hospital beds in a storage seal. He guarded Ino with the utmost intensity when he noticed her eyes glaze over as she watched over her father.

He was relieved to see Ayaka stable, albeit unconscious. The kunoichi was frowning as she dreamed, the occasional name he didn't quite recognize falling from her lips once in a while. He didn't like to see her so troubled but it was a lot more bearable than seeing her writhing in pain while willingly undergoing a mental torture so extreme it had prompted Shikamaru to flee. When Ino came back to reality she didn't reveal what she'd seen but her body language betrayed her.

Her spine was practically rigid as she fisted the documents she'd initially wanted to present to the hokage prior to the disaster of the interrogation the hokage had ordered. Her blue eyes betrayed nothing but the tinniest glances she kept throwing his fiancee left him with the impression what she'd seen bothered her greatly. As if to distract herself Ino checked over her patients' vitals again, sighing as she got to Ayaka's damaged arm.

"Neji, take a look At Ayaka's chakra system. What do you see?" She asked him, to his surprise. He should reply that he wasn't a medic but he was intrigued by her tone of voice. Hesitantly he activated his Byakugan before replying.

"It's a mess in her arm, disrupting her coils completely with how much chakra she's used lately. Shes not going to be able to use more than c-rank jutsu at this rate," he responded resisting the urge to sigh. Trust Ayaka to damage her already compromised system more. The woman truly did not know any restraint.

"Lee has a compromised chakra system?" She inquired, thoughtfully contemplating his fiancee's arm. Neji turned around to face her then, intrigued with where she was going with this. Lee did have a compromised chakra system but, even though he'd never dare voice it, Lee was one of the strongest shinobi he both knew and respected.

"He cannot channel chakra at all into a jutsu. He can still use shape manipulation," he explained.

"Ayaka will still be able to use shape and nature manipulation. But molding it will be a problem. Unless…," Ino pondered out load and Neji's eyes narrowed, not sure he was following her line of thinking.

"Unless what, Yamanaka?" Neji demanded, dropping his tone to a dangerous low. A fact Ino hadn't seemed to notice.

"If we loosen her tenketsu points deliberately –," Ino began before Neji cut her off, furious that she'd dare suggest something so idiotic.

"If you do that, she will never use ninjutsu again!" He replied and this time Ino greeted his tone with a glare that surely rivaled his own.

"As I was saying, Hyuuga, if we loosen her tenketsu she could literally blast fire chakra from any point on her body. Ayaka has always had a high chakra capacity for a kunoichi." Ino explained and he found himself a bit uncomfortable because he honestly didn't know what Ayaka's full range of abilities was. Despite their engagement and his obvious intrigue in her, he clearly didn't know her. At least not as well as Ino did but still Ayaka had ambitions to be heir.

"What of her clan jutsu? Or genjustu?" Neji asked allowing the challenge to decorate his tone.

"We can leave the tenketsu in her other arm untouched. She could still weave seals, anyway she favors yang chakra use over yin. I don't think that she'd mind giving up those two. She's never fully relied on them," Ino retaliated dismissively as he focused on Shikaku Nara.

'' She wants to take over her clan. She needs the Nara jutsu." Neji sighed.

"Neji, I haven't ever seen her use the Nara jutsu but Shika, I mean he complains a lot about her not having taken clan lessons in years and Shikaku would never let her do that if she wasn't at least proficient. There's a good probability shes mastered them you know and adapted them for her style of fighting." Ino was reasoning with him but he was suddenly distracted by a figure sprinting towards the compound. Was that Kiba's sister? What the hell?

"How likely is that?" Neji asked eyes still fixed on Hana, noticing her ninken trailing after her and the other blonde he'd come to know as an unsuspecting menace, Shiho, following closely behind.

"Neji, she challenged Shikaku to a formal fight for the right to be heir. That's not a fight she could fight without using any Nara jutsu. Ayaka could be over confident but honestly after what I've witnessed, she likely has the ability." Ino was confident, unyieldingly so, in her faith in her senpai. If he was honest, he was vaguely jealous. Hanabi and Hinata were the closest thing he had to kouhai and he wasn't certain either heiress would openly display such conviction in his ability.

"The Akatsuki right?" Neji asked, Byakugan still the approaching figures. Ayaka's former genin team. He wondered who their sensei had been. Truly, they were a tenacious bunch and it was not often a kunoichi heavy team was created in the first place. Besides he'd rather contemplate her genin team then contemplate her time with the Akatsuki. She'd just started out in seduction then, from what he'd understood. How in kami's name would a newbie's first ANBU mission involve S-rank missing ninja? How was she even alive? Was she that good at seduction?

"Them and her teammates. There were little snippets of memories of her team in my father accidentally accessed in his periphery that are concerning but I'll need medical records and death certificates to check things," Ino replied honestly and Neji wondered if Ino had sensed their approach. Surely not, he'd never taken the Yamanaka heiress to be a sensor of note.

"You might get your chance. They're headed here." Neji quirked a brow at Shiho using an impressive display of speed and agility as the girl scaled the compounds exterior walls, deactivating the aged compound traps in her way with ease. Hana followed after her, ninken flanking her.

"What, really? Warn me sooner dammit. I wanted to brief the Hokage first." Ino growled at him fiercely, rushing out of the room with a last glance at her patients to make sure they were still stable. He'd seen an emotion he couldn't quite place flash across her face but paid Ino no more attention. Ignoring Inoichi and approaching Ayaka's bedside with caution he linked his fingers with hers, squeezing even though he knew she couldn't quite feel the comfort of his touch. With a little more aggression than he should be displaying, he voiced the thoughts he'd been keeping at bay for a while now.

"Wake up _hime_. I think we are going to need you to prevent them from killing each other. Shikamaru and Ino's dad are half dead already. Both your aunts are here and I suspect nothing could keep your genin team away. Ino looks ready to go to war for you. Shikaku must have a death wish at this point. Someone needs to sneak Tsunade some sake, perhaps you're aunts boyfriend?"

He pressed a kiss to her forehead warily before continuing hesitantly, letting his frustrations leak into his voice.

"Wake up _hime._ I need to know more about you. Who is this Hidan you keep murmuring about in your sleep? Who's Deidera? Why do you say their names with such hurt _? Sasori? Kakuzu? Kisame? Itachi?_ They're all infamous and you murmur those names laced with amusement! I'm jealous _hime._ You are mine now and I know nothing of your past."

He abandoned Ayaka's hand heading towards the door, with open frustration. Things had gotten loud enough outside that he couldn't ignore the others for much longer. He glanced back for a second, gaze lingering fondly on the kunoichi still clad in his mother's old kimono.

"Don't you go dying on me yet, _hime_."


	31. Love and Hate

**[An citrus warning. Deixitachi. I highly suggest you read atleast some of this chapter, if only for plot. ]**

 **DEIDERA**

"You've been sparring with Hidan a lot lately." Deidera barely blinked in response to unguarded Itachi laid out on his bed, looking highly enticing. The raven haired Uchiha had his eyes shut and was relaxing on Deidera's duvet, expressionless as usual. Deidera rolled his eyes, used to Itachi's pretense of a dispassionate response.

Ever since the events of Hidan throwing him through a wall, Itachi had commandeered Deidera's bedroom whenever he was at the base. If the other's noticed it, they didn't say anything even though he could swear that Kakuzu was barely containing a spontaneous lecture on propriety. It wasn't that the two of them had never indulged in each other prior to that, after all even Deidera could admit he was somewhat obsessed with Itachi, but it had been the first time that Itachi had stayed. Deidera was well aware his bedroom was their designated neutral point, neither would dare attack each other, at least not to kill, within this space. Itachi was surprisingly level headed to come up with a truce like that, although Deidera was well aware that Itachi had been far from coherent and bent over his desk when agreeing on that little detail. He'd been less than clear minded himself because of that delicious view. Still, the impromtu truce had held years now and Deidera didn't expect that to end anytime soon, dare Itachi sacrifice his new found desire to be Deidera's play thing.

"Pein's sending us both out soon, it's almost time to collect the one and two tails. I need the taijutsu practice, un." Deidera replied, ditching his cloak and sandals before taking a seat on the edge of his bed, not bothering to keep his guard up like he usually did on base around Itachi. He raised a brow at Itachi's frown but decided to let the emotionally constipated Uchiha figure out what he wanted to say himself.

It wasn't as if he liked Hidan much, but he pitied the priest. Ayaka had all but destroyed his soul when she had left. Deidera was glad he wasn't one for declarations of love. Itachi was the same. He's not sure how he'd take Itachi loving him and leaving him like that. He was content to not know for sure, accepting both his vibrant hatred and dare he admit it, reluctant love for the Uchiha. Because it wasn't lust and it hadn't been since that day he'd seen one of his favorite people, Ayaka, land a blow on Itachi despite it being a scratch. The murderous rage he'd felt, at her for indulging him and him for initiating it had boiled over, uncontrollably. The rest was an unfortunate history revealing Ayaka as the master seductress she was. A real monster in the making that girl was, in another reality he'd be too proud of her.

"We could spar you know," Deidera could practically hear the barely there smirk in the Uchiha's voice. The damned fool thought he would win no doubt and Deidera seethed as he heard the shifting of Itachi sitting up and leaning against the wall. Itachi made things he wanted so obvious, even if he rarely took initiative. Deidera could practically feel the nonverbal request in the air and like always he didn't hesitate.

"Don't fuck around un, next time we fight I will destroy you _."_ Deidera snapped around and invaded the raven haired Uchiha's space with swift movements he knew Itachi could evade if he wanted to. His fist lannded against the wall and the other yanking hard on Itachi's long hair forcing the sharingan wielder to gaze into his eyes. Itachi's hands were fisting Deidera's bedding, his face expressionless and seemingly oblivious to the fact he'd hooked one leg around Deidera's waist on impulse, the other already pinned down under Deidera's thigh. They were probably an attractive sight, Deidera mused. After all Kisame didn't ever hesitate to remind them about how confusing their androgyny was to him sexually. With long raven hair and a face that held the most elegant of beauty, Itachi had features any girl would kill for. He wasn't far behind, with his blonde hair, blue eyes and narrow waist, he looked like the kind of Kunoichi that would be drafted into seduction in a heartbeat.

Attractive or not together, their antics confused everyone including themselves. Deidera had always been aware that interpersonal relationships involving simultaneous intense emotions of love and hate existed. Kurosutchi had been fond of those novels but he just had never thought he'd be in one. Yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't quite shake the siren's call to ruin his Uchiha in bed or on the battlefield.

Because even as their lips crashed together and Itachi pulled of his scope while loosening Deidera's hair with a gentleness unbecoming of an S-class shinobi, Deidera was already planning to ruin him. Since Itachi wouldn't and couldn't acknowledge him on a battlefield yet, Deidera had settled for making the Uchiha acknowledge him by other means.

Itachi's shirt was all but ripped from his body, while Deidera's was slipped off with deceptively gentle hands. Itachi brushed of his sewn shut mouth on his chest and Deidera groaned at the contact, grinding into Itachi on instinct. It earned the former Iwa ninja a gasp turned moan from the sharingan wielder, as he latched onto Itachi's neck, intent on reducing Itachi to mess. Heaven was when Itachi finally lost his passiveness raking his nails down Deidera's back, hard enough that he knew the sting he felt was from freshly drawn blood. Without hesitating any longer, Deidera pulled down the waistband of Itachi's pants low enough to free him. With a wink that earned him another groan from the male at his mercy, Deidera decided to show Itachi exactly why having mouth's on his hands were so awesome. Needless to say, if Itachi showed him the sweetness of heaven, Deidera dragged the former through the desparation of hell.

He relished in the feeling of Itachi frantically bucking into him. Desperation looked good on the Uchiha who was writing underneath him, face a little pink and eyes closed shut. It was so difficult to get Itachi to let loose but Deidera could. Deidera kissed him with renewed intensity, content with the feeling of Itachi trying desperately to free him of his pants. It was hard not to be amused as every time Itachi got close to undoing the button on his pants, he allowed his hand-mouths to increase the intensity of the sinful art they were currently engaged with. When Itachi finally came somewhat explosively, his hands cleaned him up and Deidera leaned back to admire his surprisingly quick work but what he saw made him uncomfortable. He didn't bother hiding his frown.

Itachi was clearly exhausted, worryingly so, his neck littered with red marks that Deidera knew would darken beautifully. His chest raised up and down as he panted heavily, pink faced and looking at Deidera with an uncharacteristic hunger complimented by heavy fatigue. All in all, Deidera hadn't gone all out today and their intense little make out session was surprisingly short. He could feel Itachi's tired eyes questioning him as they raked across his body lingering on his hardness.

"You've been a little tired un, rest. I'm going to take a shower, yeah." It made Deidera uncomfortable to know he was concerned but Itachi hadn't been at his peak in a long time. He shifted away, uncomfortably hard in his tight jeans. It was becoming obvious that something was wrong with the former Leaf ninja and Deidera didn't like it. There was no joy in ruining someone who wasn't at his best but Itachi was a stubborn fool and probably wouldn't confide in a medic nevermind Deidera himself. Unless it involved a list of bogus reasons for fighting his brother, Itachi had very little to say about anything. Deidera hadn't realized how much it bothered him as he walked away.

He hadn't been expecting Itachi to stop him, but sure enough a hand grabbed his wrist with just enough force to spin him around. Chest to chest with a suddenly nude Itachi, he was surprised to see emotion in the eyes that were always so carefully blank. Although what emotion it was, Deidera wasn't sure he was ready to know just yet. When Itachi pulled his hair back gently angling his head for the gentlest of kisses, Deidera melted. Since Itachi almost never took initiative, he was ill prepared for the sensual act of Itachi deciding to trace his fingertips wherever he could reach. The touches grew more bold and Deidera's pants fell to the floor as the Uchiha finally got them loose. Deidera kicked them away distracted, still lost in a sensual kiss he couldn't quite make sense off. A large part of him wanted to take control, and ravage Itachi with the kind of passion that would leave the Uchiha reeling but Deidera was a curious soul. Where Deidera embodied passion, Itachi oozed sensuality much like Deidera's occasional fantasies felt he would.

When Itachi finally began a descent of gentle kisses downward, Deidera was in a trance like state lost in the feeling of his lover worshiping his body. Itachi pushed him back towards the bed, gently forcing him to sit as he crouched before him. Deidera was painfully hard now and he almost came undone the moment he felt Itachi's mouth go exactly where he needed attention most. The Uchiha kept the slow and gentle pace and Deidera was struggling not to fist his hair and buck into that elegant face with reckless abandon.

"Itachi?!" He all but demanded desperately when he was at the limits of his control as the Uchiha glanced up at him brow raised, as if to ask if he really wanted to start a conversation right now. Which, was a fair point, all things considered.

"Hn…" He acknowledged Deidera as the blonde struggled to form a coherent thought, Itachi still between his thighs looking very much fuckable.

"What are you doing, yeah? This isn't like you," Deidera asked, shuddering as Itachi's hair tickled his inner thigh as he tilted his head to the side, thinking.

"We will both die young. We – I want to not regret this. Out of everything, let's just have this," Itachi explained as his hands continued where his mouth left off. Deidera sighed at his seriousness.

"I think you'll follow me to hell for this, yeah," Deidera rolled his eyes with a pant. Itachi was so damned melodramatic at times.

"What if you kill me first? Or my avenger of a brother?" Itachi asked. Deidera noticed the strange emotion in his eyes again and it annoyed him that Sasuke was evoking emotion along side him.

"The baby Uchiha would have to kill me first, yeah and I think you know I'd be joining you in hell regardless, un." With that the conversation went no further as Itachi crawled over him, distracting him with a soul destroying kiss that left him blank brained.

It was only the next day, tangled in bedding when Deidera contemplated the conversation before he ditched the sleeping Uchiha to spar with Hidan. After all this time Itachi was still obsessed with fighting is brother to the death, he didn't know it yet but there was no way in hell Deidera would let him. He quickly made for the showers, knowing Itachi would sleep in a few more hours. The Uchiha was cranky in the morning, it was best to let him sleep.

Deidera didn't care to know why Itachi had tested his strength against the Uchiha clan but he was sure the act had fucked with him somehow. There was no way in hell Deidera was going to let Itachi fight Sasuke. Obsession, Deidera understood but there was something that didn't quite feel right about Itachi's desire. Even if he claimed to hate his brother, Deidera understood that fine line between love and hate. He understood it way too well as he exited thier bedroom, leaving their truce behind while he trained to inevitably defeat Itachi Uchiha and possibly, the baby Uchiha too.

Itachi would awake later and unknown to him, Deidera's name on his lips.


	32. The eyes of the daughter

**[A/N: A serious chapter ahead but needed for where this story is going. Also, reviews are appreciated.]**

 **SHIHO**

It was with barely contained panic, at least on her side, that she and Hana stormed the Senju compound. Her former genin teammate was looking particularly feral as she used her clan's signature tracking techniques to trace Ayaka to the former Senju compound. She had been thinking about things with Kiba when Shiho had gotten the official notice that someone had tried yet again to have the Nara girl killed.

She was proud to say her reaction was instantaneous. On paper, they shouldn't be a close genin team. Hana had been a few years older than her and an heiress. Ayaka had been a ward of a prominent clan heir. They hadn't even been a team that long. Shiho had barely known her late sensei. In fact, she'd probably gotten more guidence from late Sarutobi than the man and Sarutobi had always been a busy kage. She'd settled in cryotology, not wanting to be in the field and happily remained a chuunin. Hana was now a jonin medic and tracker. Ayaka dived head first into ANBU without any restraint and at one point was rumored to be an elite apprentice. Yet, despite thier busy schedules there'd always been an understanding that the three were welcome in each other's homes and that they'd meet for supper whenever they could. Shiho was thier strategist. Hana and her ninken were their support. Ayaka was their frontline.

And if the frontline were in danger, it was the responsibility for the support and the strategist to save the day. If only Ayaka wasn't the only friend of hers injured.

She'd initially made a beeline for the hospital, abandoning the office, only to find that Shikamaru was being seen too and was critical. She was concerned about the Nara heir and Ayaka not being present didn't bode well. Still, the hospital staff hadn't given her any answers and she'd immediately sought out Hana. Although Hana was strictly a field medic, the brunette had walked into the hospital demanding answers only to find that nobody knew where Ayaka was or where Shikamaru had been moved to. Hana had taken it in stride, immediately announcing they'd track the Nara's down the hard way once it was apparent the head house Nara compound was vacant. It had been sheer surprise that had graced her features when the trail lead them straight to the former Senju compound. Being at the compound made her uncomfortable, but she steeled her resolve, critically examining the familiar aging building she could only wish she'd never laid eyes on.

Having been allowed to investigate the compound in her younger days by the late Sarutobi, Shiho was quick to disable any traps in her way with her thoughts stormy. Kami, she was loyal to Konoha and her kage but the Senju compound was a place she should never have stepped foot in, by her mother's will. Sarutobi had insisted though and now, ironically, she was breaking in against the will of his second successor who was _that woman_. The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth.

It wasn't like she resented _that woman_ , but Shiho hadn't expected to be interacting with the slug Sannin much. After her mother's death she'd fully committed herself to be a paper ninja and as a result usually received duties from the hokage's assistant save an emergency.

All in all, she'd interacted with _that woman_ a handful of times in comparison to the third. Sarutobi had always had such high hopes for her but in the end, she'd fallen short of his expectations with neither the natural talent nor drive to pursue being an active jonin of the Leaf. Often, she worried she'd truly disappointed the old man but then she thought of her mom. A civilian born prostitute who'd been all but pressured into allowing the child she'd birthed to pursue the path of the Shinobi. Sarutobi, kind as he had been was a kage first and refusal had never been an option for her. There were dangers out there that she couldn't comprehend or so they'd said. The man had been right, she had the inherent potential to develop powerful enemies but that was why Shiho had dedicated her life to blending in as a paper ninja. Her feelings towards Sarutobi always made her a bit confused. Her feelings towards _that woman_ were worse.

So, when Hana and the hokage traded heated words and Yoshino assured her that both Ayaka and Shikamaru for that matter would be fine, meaning they weren't currently fine, she was ill prepared for Ino Yamanaka to descend upon them, accusation laced heavily in her fatigued blue eyes. Shiho was surprised. She knew Ino was a passionate one but she didn't think that entering a compound that wasn't even the Yamanaka's warranted the hostility.

"Tsunade sama, I believe we need to speak with Inuzuka san and Shiho san in private immediately. It may be best we have a Hyuuga present as well," Ino announced and Shiho was astounded with the amount of authority the Yamanaka heir had held in her tone and the honorifics she'd used. Yet, she shouldn't have been surprised. Most Konoha heirs have been thought since birth how to speak with authority. It was why Hana was an unofficial leader in their team. Ayaka and her always differed to Hana, as was expected of them. She did it willingly of course, Ayaka less than so. Ayaka was the kind of person who's loyalty you had to earn to get unquestioning support. Hana had earned it though.

Whatever was the issue Ino had, it was serious, and Yoshino had said earlier there'd been an accident. Catching a glimpse of a bedridden Inoichi and Ayaka as Neji slid open a doorway and walked in, his features troubled, her eyes widened doing the math.

An assassination attempt. An interrogation. Two injured Nara's. Ino giving orders. The odd assortment of shinobi present. The way Ino was glaring at them. Shiho was a lot of things but an idiot wasn't one of them. This situation was far from protocol. As a cryptologist, that had to encode all shinobi reports, this would be a nightmare. Unless the Kage had her file fake reports about what had occurred here, she was fairly certain proper conduct had not been followed. If she was correct, her former teammate had faced something far more sinister than an attempt on her life.

"You…You mind raped her didn't you? The rest of you…You allowed this?! Shikamaru... he objected didn't he?" Her voice came out half pained as Hana snapped her head towards her in shock, the Inuzuka heiress taking a breath sharply at the accusation Shiho had thrown about.

"We will move this to other quarters. Yoshino, I understand you are retired but do watch over everyone. Shikaku, Asuma and Kurenai take your pissing contest outside. Follow me, the rest of you."

Shiho didn't bother to check if anyone followed _that womans_ orders before swiftly dragging Hana along by the hand.

Stiffly, they followed _that woman_ in single file, Neji leading the way and the Yamanaka heir bringing up the rear. Shiho watched _that woman_ struggle with the locking mechanisms of the clearly barely used study and barely held back her sigh.

"That door has a secret locking mechanism. Excuse me, Hokage sama," Shiho leaned forward, her lithe fingers making quick work of the aged mechanism before stepping back allowing them to enter the room ahead of her. Hana, Ino and Neji followed them in and Shiho didn't miss the way Ino's eyes narrowed at her. Well, it would be unusual for anyone to casually unlock a door in any compound, but she supposed she could always reveal why she'd ventured the compound under Sarutobi's instruction.

Ino had good instincts. She wondered how long the girl would be a chuunin.

It wasn't like the old man could object potential reveals anyway and with Ayaka as observant as she had been, she didn't even want to know what Ino thought she knew based on what they'd ripped from Ayaka's mind space. The idea made her flinch, after all, hadn't Ayaka tried to pair of Hana and Kakashi a few years ago? Intuitive she was but Ayaka sure did have strange ideas. Yet perhaps that would be enough to spare her the worst of the Yamanaka techniques. Ayakas mind was sharp but odd, Shiho mused. The slug Sannin settled at the desk before them, folding her arms and leaning back.

"While I apologise for Ayaka's condition to all of you, it was a necessary course of action under the circumstances. Ino, your findings require Ayaka's genin team here and a Hyuuga?" The hokage asked, looking tired. Shiho may have pitied her but then she remembered _that woman_ was the Hokage after spending years gallivanting outside the village, much like the other two Sannin. Shiho wasn't fond of the concept of the sannin, although she supposed that was personal. Jiraiya that had spent more time out of the village galivanting and whoring then in it. Orochimaru that had fled with the highest of disgraces on his record only to return and kill a Kage amongst all the other collateral.

Tsunade, _that woman,_ a kunoichi that had gone on a gambling and drinking spree that had harbored an legendary aversion to the Hokage position and Konoha itself. The three of them were an insult to the Third's legacy. He at least had wanted to be in the village. It wasn't his fault his students were wanderers.

However, Shiho couldn't hate them for being privileged with the raw power to walk away from the shinobi life and village whenever they pleased. Power came with privelage and hate was a fickle thing, much like love.

Ino was about to speak and Shiho quelled her inner monologue.

"The death of Kanato Hyuuga was noted as a result of encountering missing nin and bandits near Kiri coast with his genin team. The team allegedly avenged their sensei and sunk the ship. I believe that Hana Inuzuka actually murdered him." Ino reported to the hokage, her blue eyes flashing dangerously at Hana. It was a shocking accusation and the room was deadly quiet for a moment.

Shiho was about to defend the brunette, because surely such an accusation was false when she saw something that startled her. The barely there ghost of a smile on Hana Inuzuka's face was dainty thing, but sinister when you paired it with the way the kunoichi's three ninken had risen to all fours angrily once her former sensei had been named. Shiho knew her team well, despite thier differences and the one thing that all of them had in common was something they'd picked up from thier sparse time as Genin. She wasn't sure which of them had started it and probably should be more concerned about it because it was a weird tell, that only the three of them knew about each other. When reminiscing about deaths they'd individually dealt. They couldn't help but smile.

The silence that graced the room was surprisingly broken by Neji Hyuuga.

"It is just Kanato. From what I know, he was posthumously disowned from the clan after an incident involving Tsume sama storming the compound. I cannot say for certain why he was disowned but such a feat posthumously wound indicated that –, " Neji was cut off then by Hana, who held her hand up demanding silence.

"He was a fucking sexual predator and I was his apprentice as a medic a while before he was assigned Ayaka and Shiho as genin. Why anyone would give the man another two girls is beyond me, but I was an heir without a team and Ayaka was a almost prodigy, while Shiho was a favorite of Sarutobi. Mizuki sensei thought an all kunoichi team would be great for as honey pots or something equally idiotic." Hana explained and Shiho felt herself tearing up at that. The change in the mood of the room was instant as the other occupants stared.

Why hadn't Hana ever said anything? She launched herself at her teammate, wrapping her up in a hug that Hana indulged. The entwined girls comforting each other with soft words before _that woman_ cleared her throat. Shiho was surprised to see cracks on the desk, as her Kage barely contained her anger.

"Hana, who else is aware of this?" The Hokage asked gently, eyes shut. Despite her not wanting to see it because of what Ayaka had just experienced, _that woman's_ body language displayed remorse about Hana's encounters.

Shiho had never liked their sensei but he'd died awfully early in her shinobi career. She'd hardly interacted with him. Older and more experienced, Kanato Hyuuga had often let Hana oversee their training and missions. She often thought it was because their sensei didn't have time but more likely given Hana's character, the medic had been keeping attention away from her and Ayaka.

"The Hyuuga and Inuzuka heads as well as the elder councils of each clans. I would not stress over it Tsunade sama, affairs were handled internally and believe me he suffered." the Inuzuka heiress explained, that eerie smile still on her face as she still stood with an arm slung around Shiho's shoulders. This didn't appease their Kage though.

"Dammit, all this indirect handling of affairs and missions is whats caused all this mess. A full report on my desk tomorrow Inuzuka. You too, Yamanaka. Now does anyone else have anything else that they should report before we sought out the Nara's mess?" The hokage asked expecting the question to be rhetorical. It wasn't.

"Tsunade sama, I believe Shiho san displayed uncanny knowledge of deactivating the traps and locking mechanisms of this compound," Neji Hyuuga reported, shooting her an apologetic look as she shrugged off Hana's arm about to respond before Ino spoke.

"It's a random series of thoughts in Ayaka's memories but Ayaka always has been wary of Shiho's closeness to the late hokage. Her thoughts indicate she imagines, as absurd as it may be, that Shiho is the illegitimate offspring of one of the Sannin. Shinobi law dictates that the third would be a legal guardian of his former teams-," Ino was rambling now and before she could go on the hokage silenced her.

"Who's are you? Jiriaya's or Orochimaru's?" _That woman_ asked and Shiho shook her head.

"The paternity of my biological father has never been ascertained. Although, I believe Orochimaru used Jiriaya sama's spermatozoa but conducted experiments on my unborn self to give me his better cognitive prowess," Shiho explained uncomfortably, dancing around the elephant in the room. She was hoping no one wouldn't enquire any further, but such thoughts were wishful thinking. She tuned out Ino's gasp and Hana's look of surprise. Neji was behind her, so she didn't worry about his expression but she doubted it was schooled perfectly.

"So, you're a test tube baby then. Typical Orochimaru to do such a thing. We will test you paternity when that pervert returns. This doesn't however explain why or how you know this compound so well." _That woman,_ no Tsunade, demanded now, her eyes narrowed. Tsunade had pretty eyes, Shiho realised. Strikingly familiar pretty eyes. She unconsciously reached for her glasses.

"Well, firstly I am a trap specialist or at least I had been when I was a field ninja. Secondly, my mom who birthed me was an incredible woman, but my biological mother was not her," Shiho trailed off, removing the thick opaque glasses that had hidden her eyes. Tsunade's pair, so alike to hers they may as well have been mirror images, widened in absolute horror.

"No!" The hokage breathed unwilling to accept what she was seeing. Shiho may have lacked _that woman's_ curves and wear her hair messy but you couldn't deny the resemblance between the two now that her glasses were off. She heard gasps and murmurs from the rooms other occupants but ignored them.

"My biological parents are likely the Sannin, possibly all three of you given Orochimaru's inclination towards genetic experimentation. My mom, my real mom, went to the Hokage for protection when I was a baby, I think Orochimaru decided I was useless. Kami only knows how he allowed her to leave, she wasn't a shinobi, just a prostitute. Hiruzen Sarutobi let me venture the Senju compound as you were unlikely to ever return and he wanted me to be a better shinobi than you three," Shiho explained, feeling exhausted. She'd come here looking for answers about Ayaka. Yet all that had occurred so far concerned her or Hana.

"Shiho, a report on my desk tomorrow." The hokage spoke surprisingly gently while pinching the bridge of her nose, and Shiho sympathised. She may be unhappy with the idea of the Sannin but as a woman, she could understand her Kage's perspective.

It wasn't everyday you find out your psychotic genin teammate made test tube baby with your eggs. Never mind that said egg was implanted into a random prostitute and the father was either said psychopath, if not a legendary pervert. Shiho refrained from dwelling on her parentage any further however because Tsunade's eyes flickered towards Ino and that could only mean one thing. The room fell silent in deadly anticipation. They were shinobi all here for a purpose. Ayaka had suffered and they'd be damned if they didn't know why. Ino flicked her hair, making sure every other eye in the room was on her. Shiho really was impressed, someone should really give that girl a promotion soon if only because Ino Yamanaka knew how to command a room better than most Kage could with body language alone. Ayaka had trained the girl in more than just one field, it seemed.

"Ino Yamanaka, as your Kage and shishou, I command you to reveal what you've learnt today about Ayaka Nara."


	33. An awakening

**[A/N: this wasn't meant to be a stand alone chapter but I feel it fits. Please Review!]**

 **AYAKA**

Pain was a relative thing. Without it, one couldn't be certain that the reality they were in was real. Not while genjutsu users like Itachi Uchiha and Kurenai Yuuhi walked amongst men. So, when Ayaka woke to a foreign living room beside an incapacitated Inoichi Yamanaka feeling particularly numb, she didn't hesitate to reach for the numerous weapons she always kept on her person. To her surprise though she felt none. Fuzzy thoughts flooded her mind as she tried to make sense of her current state.

She remembered that damned party last night. She remembered Neji's lips on hers. She remembered goading Shikaku. She remembered an assassin. She remembered letting Shika flee. She remembered flinching when seeing Inoichi. She remembered trying to endure it all. She remembered failing.

Someone like her shouldn't fail though. Had years of ANBU thought her nothing? She hadn't been expecting to be so weak, in front of Shikaku as well. She'd been under the impression she was good at a mental defence. ANBU Hawk had required her to be in order to report back memories on high ranking missions. Perhaps it was because the memories Inoichi had gone for weren't fresh. It didn't seem right though.

Ayaka remembered other things with startlingly fresh zeal. Memories she'd long since avoided dwelling on. That calming aura of Sasori's. That excitement of Kisame's. That wisdom of Kakuzu's. The stillness of Itachi. The sheer passion of Deidera. And Hidan. The love, the faith and all the murderous things in between.

Had she always felt this broken about leaving them and _him_? About choosing her mission, her kage, over an odd bag assortment of mere missing ninja? Okay, fair enough they were far from mere. When had she become so desensitised to her time with the bloody Akatsuki? It was unfathomable that she could. Her body shuddered with fatigue as she struggled to stand. Where was her Katana? She'd handed it to Shika but he'd ran. Neji perhaps? It made her uncomfortable to not have her favoured tool at her side. Someone clearly wanted her dead after all, that memory was still very clear despite the sensory overload her violated brain was currently experiencing.

Could anyone almost forget the sheer terror that was Kakuzu hunting you down? Was it possible to negate thoughts of the plethora of deadly concoctions Sasori had created in her midst? That Uchiha with his midnight terrors, how did he not haunt her nightmares? She, drawing her sword against a legendary swordsman and it not being one of her most memorable life moments ever? Deidera's explosive passion wasn't the kind of thing that didn't linger in one's mind. How in Jashin Kami's name had an immortal lover become kin to a ghost in her memory? The entire thought was nonsensical and for once in her life Ayaka Nara was puzzled.

She even clearer remembered snippets of her genin and academy days more vibrantly. Of learning the art of weaponry with Izumo and Kotetsu under a younger Genma. Hana's brutal training regimes. Of a mission ending in turmoil leaving them without a sensei but earning them flack jackets none of them had ever worn willingly. Of an aging hokage that subtly doted on Shiho whims with fatherly tenderness she couldn't help but envy. Memories of learning the clan jutsu with vigor but her fighting style failing to accommodate them to Shikaku's standards. Of a sad eyed Kurenai flinching when she smiled too much or teased her about getting hitched with her Sarutobi lover. Of Yoshino's endearing smile as she advanced in skill and speed. Of helping a younger Yamanaka heiress learn how to throw a kunai while a younger Shika dozed off in the corner.

Her kimono was heavier and more regal than she was used to, and her thoughts lingered again on the signs of genjustu, yet she saw none. In her periphery, Inoichi was breathing heavy, almost as heavy as she was. What had happened to the Yamanaka Head? She couldn't quite remember anything but searing pain at his expense. Neji, he was far too controlled to be responsible for the elder Jonin's state. Shikaku would not harm his teammate without good reason. Had her Hokage lost her temper? Jashin knows, neither Shikamaru nor Yoshino had the skills to take on Inoichi if they'd returned mid interrogation. Nothing made sense. Perhaps it was a genjustu?

In her periphery she could sense Hana, the triplets and Shiho's chakra shining brightly as neither kunoichi bothered to hide their chakra. She didn't doubt her comrades would have attacked Inoichi had they known but neither had been present in the Hokage tower. Kami, was that Kurenai and Asuma she sensed? How had they gotten here? Had Shikamaru called the cavalry in? That screech sounded awfully like Ino, although whoever it was had chakra too low to detect. Was Ino injured? How in Jashin's name had that happened?

She blinked as her vision blurred, half holding onto the hospital bed that she was suddenly very aware had no place in the oriental styled sitting room she was in. Staggering forward a few steps, she made it a meter in pursuit of her beloved blade before falling on her face. A strong sense of Deja Vu hit her as the make shift hospital room was flooded with shinobi in an instant.

She was vaguely aware of Yoshino and Ino helping her up while Tsunade ran a diagnostic on her. Hana apparently shared her kage's thoughts as the brunette's chakra flashed green on her palms that reached for her damaged hand. Kurenai, Asuma and Shikaku lingered in the doorway but she paid them no mind as Neji walked in her Katana on his person, Shiho on his heels. Before she could even control it, her eyes flashed dangerously, and the barest hint of malicious intent leaked.

She couldn't contain the possessive snarl as she lunged towards her lover with her weakened form. Neji caught her at the waist as she weakly pried the blade from him, relaxing only when the tool was in her grip. They fell together as her legs gave out but quick manoeuvres on his part had her land straddling him. Instinctively, her tired arms pressed the sheathed katana to his neck, all set an ready to slip it open and behead her betrothed. Neji had a pretty neck, she vaguely decided. One quite worthy of potentially tasting her steel.

She could sense the chakra of every shinobi in the room on edge as she eyed her lovers form calculatingly. The medics in the room were seemingly unphased and professional but alert as ever. The other jonin had drawn their weapons uncertainly, unsure of how to handle her sudden lapse in control. Shiho was mortified and had instantly been surrounded by Hana's triplets, the ninken ready to defend. The girl was the only one in the room to dare take a step towards her but the triplets growled and she paused.

Neji was the only person that hadn't seemed deterred by the current situation. The Hyuuga relaxed beneath her his pale lilac eyes softening, although he dared not move. Perhaps he realised that unarmed and weak ninja could be quite feral if pushed. Because even as Ayaka's rational side fought her current actions, the Kunoichi in her felt threatened. She'd learnt that a beastly thing had lingered in her soul first hand years ago. How long had she passively prevented it from showing itself? Why, after what could only be described as a mental battle was she endowed with clearer memories? Something didn't make sense. Was any of this real? And if it wasn't, what could she even do about it?

" _Hime,_ you're awake," Ayaka hadn't been prepared for the relief in Neji's voice but it was the tugging at the corners of Neji Hyuuga's mouth that snapped her out of her mental tirade that romanticized her less than secret nature. Her eyes widened as she scrambled off him, clutching her sheathed blade to her form.

Again, a vivid disarray of memories left her ill as she struggled to push them down. Eyeing the members of the room, each wearing varying looks from relief to worry she found herself shakily rising to her feet before she dared respond, her back rigidly straight and her shoulders squared. Her crimson eyes flashed dangerously yet again, as she schooled her features into a pleasant smile, one she was quite certain scared a few.

Memories of red clouds on black cloaks flashed in her periphery as she finally spoke out, attaching her favoured tool to her hip. If her icy tone of voice left anyone startled, she didn't know.

"Yes, I am awake now."


	34. Ara-Shika-Yo

**SHIKAKU**

Parenthood was possibly the second most difficult thing he'd ever had the misfortune of being obligated in indulging. The first of which was marriage. Not that he had any regrets about who he'd married, despite the troublesome nature of his spouse.

Yoshino's voice had only risen in octave as the day had progressed, not that he could really blame her at this point. Tsunade had all but thrown him out, deeming him a bad choice of company for either of his brats. Yoshino had accompanied him, not because she was keen to leave but rather keen to get into the thick copy of reports the Hokage had ordered them to make. It was a strange situation and to any experienced Jonin, it was easy to see that things were crossing over into dangerous territories politically. He shuddered to think of the potential political nightmare that may have occurred if Neji had been injured. It was bad enough Inoichi, Ayaka and Shikamaru would be noticanoticably absent or injured for a while. Shinobi would notice. Including those that held ill will towards his niece.

The folder held statements from everyone present that had been physically able to make one. It would be dangerous in the wrong hands and he was honestly apprehensive about letting Yoshino near it. Information was a dangerous thing in the shinobi world.

Shiho had encrypted it of course, but she had set it such that his blood could translate it at will. Niether she nor the Hokage had forbidden him from sharing the contents with his spouse and that had struck him odd. Perhaps he was reading too much into it, though. The day had been traumatic for them all.

Afterwards he'd been surprised to be the first asked to leave but he guessed it had been for the best. The hostility towards him had been less than subtle. Shikamaru and Ayaka should be fine in theory. Nobody would dare attack with Tsunade present and the hokage assured him they were stable even after Ayaka's display. A display that felt too much like an echo of another Nara.

"Dammit Shikaku, you really fucked up this time! If I were you, I'd …" Yoshino's tirade was escalating as they made their way back to the Nara compound. Unable to take it anymore, he grabbed his wife by the elbow forcing the furious woman to stop.

"Listen here woman, Ayaka has been pushing my hand for years and Shikamaru is been no better," Shikaku sighed as he also added, " and I have really fucked things up. What with my brother say if he was alive? Never mind, his wife." Yoshino sighed with him, gripping him lightly as the pair slowed down, cutting through the Nara forest for privacy. The deer, for once, seemed to sense the mood and stayed away. It was almost nostalgic of his early attempts of courting, walking here with her.

Back then Yoshino had been a pretty little spitfire, ready to run off on a new mission. Not much had changed, he found himself musing. Aside from her not going on missions anymore. He frowned, uncertain why the notion made him feel guilty.

"Shikato and Aranai broke all the rules when they were alive. If you don't remember correctly, we helped them." Yoshino gently laced her fingers with his despite the hardness in her voice. It was a small comfort, Shikaku knew his woman wrath was far from sated.

"Dammit Yoshino, of course I helped them elope. Your teammates just had to get knocked up out of wedlock after a bloody war," Shikaku rolled his eyes as more memories haunted him. He couldn't help it as he tuned out his wife again, mind a million miles away.

 _His younger brother had always been a misfit of the Nara clan through and through and Shikaku had always been a bit jealous of the younger man in his youth. Yoshino often joked that all Nara men had to be blessed with good looks because their lazy asses wouldn't be able to woo women if they didn't. However, Shikato had been disturbingly attractive even for a Nara. The clan elders had initially celebrated the young man's ascension into ANBU, not realising the shinobi was revolutionising what it meant to be a male in the seduction department. His brother had been dangerously creative for a Nara, always pushing the limits of the clan jutsu despite his warnings._

 _Shikato also had to luck out with his team. War had been a trying time and team placements weren't always traditional. Pretty much every red-blooded male had looked twice at the medic, Yoshino. Although, Shikato had been the only man who the medic didn't screech at. Shikaku dared to admit he'd been a little too presumptuous and flat out called the dark-haired medic out as his brothers bed mate which earned him a swift kick to the shin. It was only a month later when Shikaku had sent towards the medics with fresh facial wounds from an enemy long dead that he'd apologised. It had been an uphill battle earning Yoshino's respect and her stony heart from then on. Thankfully, he'd promptly pulled his head out his ass, leaving the front line to the heavy hitters and also being a lot more wary of the, admittedly troublesome, medic. He'd been pleasantly surprised when the medic new offensive katon jutsu and made or a fair sparring partner on occasion and found herself increasingly in her company._

 _That was how he'd ended up meeting the third member of what he'd dubbed the Ara-Shika-Yo formation. Aranai Yuuhi, kin to Shikato's raw sex appeal and Yoshino's girl next door gorgeous, was the very picture of a classical and elegant beauty. She also wielded a sword like a beast. Unlike Ayaka, who favoured the finesse of her Katana, her late mother had housed a collection. From katana's to Jians and even Doa's, Aranai had a mastery unique amongst the members of her clan. Sure, the woman used genjutsu occasionally, but would never master it to the same extent of her swordsmanship. He'd been completely stunned to see the Yuuhi woman being pursued by his brother. Yoshino might yell at him for his own gall but Aranai may very assassinate an unwanted suitor. She was almost as introverted and as anal as Kakashi was and strange too. Almost as if she was emotionally stunted by some means. Shikato, the social butterfly he was, stood no chance and war didn't help Aranai become more affectionate._

 _Which is why it came as a complete surprise when the newly declared clan head was accosted by his panicked younger brother post war, a barely pregnant Aranai in tow. His brother was bursting with excitement and Aranai seemed heavily unerved and uncertain or at least that's what he guaged from the mild twitch in her facial expression. He'd just announced his intentions to wed a civilian girl, Yoshino, and now his brother wanted them to help him elope. One incident the might have been able to manage but arguing both would mean challenging the clan elders directly. To add insult to injury, his bride to be implied they should elope too. Shikaku had teasingly said weddings were troublesome in passing and Yoshino ran with the idea now that her team was on board. After all, a clan head eloping because a wedding was too troublesome was rather scandalous. Scandalous enough to draw attention away from his younger brother's deeds._

 _Sometimes he regretted being the scapegoat. With a spotlight on him, causing his schedule to become chaotic, and with Yoshino busy helping Aranai with a difficult pregnancy as it was clear the baby had a bit more chakra than one would expect, Shikato was often left unchecked. With the war over and taking some leave from ANBU to enjoy wedded bliss, the younger Nara had more free time than was wise and spent his spare time in the Nara archives and then running to the flower shop to bring colourful bouquets to a seemingly unimpressed wife at random whims._

 _Once Shikato had fixated on a problem, in this case mastery of all Nara jutsu, their was nothing that could stop him besides the stoic Aranai. Unfortunately, the hormonal introvert could only handle so much time as the target of undiluted adoration and often allowed her husband his hobbies. Between coddling his wife Shikato had been working on the most forbidden of clan jutsu's. Something long banned before the Ino-Shika-Cho formation had graced the Leaf and it had cost the newlywed greatly. In the words of an elder he hadn't paid enough attention to, 'thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee.'_

 _Shikato's descent into madness had been as sudden as it had been inevitable. A heavily pregnant Aranai herself had been the only thing that had stopped the man long enough for a young Itachi Uchiha, who'd been in the area, to lock him into a genjutsu. Shikato had withered away them, sanity stripped in Konoha's general hospital._ _He couldn't help but find it bizarre the way the woman was almost clinical in her reaction to her husband's attack on her. What had Aranai seen that had made that seem inconsequential? He didn't want to know. ANBU, like Aranai were scary._

 _Nobody quite knew how Aranai handled things at first since the woman had only grown more reclusive, perhaps blaming herself. The birth of her daughter, Ayaka, a month later, had given her some hopes for the future, no doubt and Yoshino had avidly been researching ways to help the young couple. It was when Yoshino announced her own pregnancy and the clan demanded her retirement that Aranai snapped out of her reclusiveness. The new mom returned to active duty, leaving her daughter in Yoshino's care. Minato had offered her a place as an elite bodyguard and Aranai had agreed so she could supposedly be in the village for her daughter and ailing husband. However, Minato's hours were strangely rough and although the red eyed woman openly adored her baby with wonder, the child was often in Yoshino's company. He couldn't fault Aranai though, the new mom was doing her best._ _She wasn't one to show emotion but even he could see the effort she made with her child, whom she'd named after the colorful flowers his brother had often gifted her._

 _When Shikamaru was born, it was clear the cousins had no sign of patience with each other. If Ayaka wailed, Shikamaru wailed harder. Their furious battle for attention only ever stopped when the pair united against the forces of evil, or in their case, the impressive lungs of a baby Ino Yamanaka. Shikaku might have just traded the pair of them to Chouza to adopt Chouji if he knew back then the rivalry would last until Shikamaru made chuunin. Chouji was such an easy-going kid in comparison to his_ _brats. Shikamaru with his subtle genius and Ayaka with her incredible charisma. Even at that age, he could see clearly that should the pair ever unite against a cause in future they would completely anhilate any lesser foe. The notion made him smile._

 _However, a mere month after Chouji's birth, tragedy struck the Leaf. Aranai had been on duty and Yoshino had Ino, Ayaka and Shikamaru with her. Chouza's wife and son was also at the compound to keep her company, while the former medic complained about retirement and being bored. Ino's mom was busy at the flower shop and hadn't wanted to take her young girl with her. The Ino-Shika-Cho formation had been catching up at a bar on the outskirts when they'd sensed the Kyuubi's chakra flare up, horror in all their faces._

 _The results of the night had been traumatic for all of them. Yoshino, the kids and the Akamichi matriarch had made it to safety. Inoichi's wife had not. The Yuuhi, Nohara, Kamizuki, Kato and Hagane clans had been dealt a heavy blow. All of them dwindling in numbers after the body counts forclans were totalled. Minato had been lost, as had Kushina. Konoha's hospital had been decimated, his brother's body one of the earliest catalogued. Then came the news that had him reeling, Aranai Nara had not survived the night._

 _Reuniting with Yoshino had been a somber affair. No longer in the active forces, his wife had no idea how steep the death toll had been. The woman had cried herself ragged at the news. Chouza had fetched his wife, son and Ino to head back to the remains of the Akamichi compound. He didn't dare ask where Inoichi was. With his wife still balling her eyes out, he decided to check on the nursery. Unsurprisingly, Shikamaru was sound asleep. Ayaka though was tossing, the girl clearly uncomfortable by something in her sleeping state. He moved to help the little girl kicking off her blanket, when a pair of crimson eyes snapped open and a small hand caught his. Shikaku barely felt himself noting that those were good reflexes for a future shinobi but then shook his head. He would not turn into a Fugaku, obsessed with a child's potential._

 _The girl was wide awake no clutching at his arm with surprising force. It was a miracle she hadn't wailed for Yoshino yet and woken Shikamaru. Deciding that tonight was not the time for Yoshino to deal with that and that Shikamaru's love for sleep was a blessing, he plucked up the little girl, who giggled happily. He arched a brow at her, and she tried to mimic him but failing horribly._

 _Rocking her gently with a chuckle, he headed to the lounge. He wasn't ready to dwell on the current state if affairs and babysitting would do him good._

 _"Okay bratling, here's the deal. We aren't gonna bother oba-san or Shika chan so we are going to sleep here." He set the girl on his lap examining her after pointing towards the nursery and his bedroom, not expecting a reply._

 _Ayaka hadn't yet spoken but she was an expressive child. Her dark brown hair was growing out and her crimson eyes shone vividly as she contemplated his tone. She looked exactly what would result in combining Aranai and Shikaku. The combination of them honestly ought to be terrifying but Shikaku brushed it off. That was until the bright-eyed girl did respond, silently sounding out the words oba-chan and Shika san. He was about to correct her mixed honorifics when she suddenly pointed at him opened her mouth and wailed happily._

 _"Tou-chaaaaaaaaan!"_

 _Needless to say, Shikaku was utterly mortified and spent the night upgrading himself to the title of 'Shikobakaku', falling asleep with his niece in his arms, which Yoshino had found hilarious despite her mourning. Were children that young meant to know that many syllables? Maybe he should speak with Fugaku._ _Kami help him if she was a prodigy._

 _On a serious note though, Ayaka was too much like her parents even at a young age and when he saw her, he felt an odd sense of predestination, if not an eerie obligation to her fallen parents. He'd prevent her from being a stone-cold killer that struggled emotionally like Aranai. He'd quench any signs of the dangerous ambition he'd failed to rid his brother off._

 _Hell, he'd train her in politics too, if only to keep the elders from manipulating her as they had to get Yoshino to retire. He'd even make sure his brothers legacy married and was happy someday, even if he had to choose the man worthy of her by himself. He could do this and micromanage this child to be the best of her parents and not the worst._

 _He'd do it for Shikamaru too but as an heir, his boy already had a path set out for him. Heirs did not stray from their path, it was taboo. Besides, if his boy was anything like him, he'd hate doing anything troublesome. The most trying thing he'd done was court Yoshino and it wasn't like she was an older, more accomplished foreign princess or anything crazy. Shikamaru would probably wife a candidate of the clan anyway. He owed them that much after eloping._

 _It was with almost no hesitation that he ventured out the next day to file the adoption papers and he didn't regret informing a relieved Kurenai that she wouldn't need to take on her niece at her age. He raised a brow at Genma submitting papers too and made a mental note to check up on that situation. Genma was only fourteen after all, he might need help with kids. He even less excitedly showed the papers to the elder council and Danzo who'd barely reacted, for safety sake. He'd heard rumors of orphan's going missing lately, and if he had to hazard a few guesses it wouldn't be pleasant. Not to mention he could invite a civil war._

 _He hadn't regretted a single thing until about his choices until Ino's, Chouji's and Shikamaru's first words respectively turned out to be 'Shikobakaku'._

 _He was almost certain the did it on purpose._

 **[A/N Reviews are life!]**


	35. Feral beasts should not be cute

**[A/N: Reviews are love! This is a pretty cute chapter but the next one will have more action.]**

 **AYAKA**

Ayaka was feeling considerably better once she'd been ushered into a separate room, Neji following closely behind her as Tsunade threatened people into leaving the property. It worked to an extent. Shiho stuck around, as did Neji and Ino. She hadn't gotten a chance to really speak to anyone, the hokage immediately informing her that she would speak to her in the morning. Ayaka hadn't liked it but didn't dare question her kage right now. That didn't necessarily mean she wouldn't question Neji about it though. Fair enough, she'd had a slight moment of confusion but, then again, what kind of self-respecting ninja wouldn't under those terms?

"Three sentences _Hyuuga sama_. Explain this shit." She stomped her foot childishly. Everything was weird when she woke up and she didn't like it.

"I really think I'm going to need more than three, _hime,"_ Neji shot her an incredulous look, pushing her towards the bed, insistently. If she had more energy she might have been turned on by his insistence to get her into bed.

 _"_ Try me," She groaned as she settled onto the aging mattress, trying to ignore the thinest film of dust covering it. Her muscles ached ridiculously and since she didn't want to be holed up in the sitting room, one of the rarely used guest rooms would have to suffice. She felt the mattress squeak as Neji sat down and she glanced towards him, not knowing what to expect. She was pretty confident she wouldn't have actually hurt Neji but she had to admit, her thoughts had been converging in on a scary direction.

"You were quite resistant to Inoichi and both your vitals were fading. Kurenai poisoned Shikamaru and dragged Ino to the tower in her sleepwear. Shiho is the child of the sannin, your sensei was a paedophile and Hana murdered him," Neji raised a brow almost daring her to say that was enough to sate her curiosity. It wasn't but she would get more out of him eventually.

"Neji? I'm sorry about almost decapitating you. I wasn't thinking right," Ayaka confessed before locking his gaze again, "But I might do it again if don't tell me more."

It wasn't her most finessed apology, but she could tell the Hyuuga appreciated it anyway. His tensed jaw slackened a bit and she could swear that there was a smile ghosting his handsome features indulgently. Neji's hand travelled down the mattress only to link with her own. The gentle squeeze offered a non-verbal acceptance that Ayaka was relieved to receive and was a welcome token off affection. The silence stretched a few moments before Neji turned to her and spoke again, this time his voice softer.

"How about a trade, I tell you everything and you tell me everything too."

His eyes were gentle and Ayaka didn't hesitate to give a response.

"Deal!"

 **SHIHO**

It was unnerving to argue with a Hokage. Especially if said hokage was suddenly getting all maternal on you. Shiho however, drew the line at spending the night at her assumed biological mothers place just because said woman disapproved of the red light district. Not that Shiho enjoyed the shady streets but, it the tiny apartment was the last thing she had of the woman who'd raised her. It would be a dishonour to seemingly toss that aside for Tsunade's compound, who Shiho had little doubt would never have wanted a child.

"Tsunade sama, with all due respect you cannot keep me here. I realize it must come as a shock, but you also need to realize that I'm not your child, regardless of my DNA," Shiho stated firmly tapping her foot with her impatience.

She felt weird without her glasses, Tsunade had commandeered them earlier before forcibly running a medical diagnostic on her eyes. The Hokage was hardly impressed by the fake prescription and declared that Shiho's eye wear would do her more harm than good and the opaque lenses were going to cause eyestrain. Shiho relented, having suspected as much about her flimsy disguise for years. Unless she and Tsunade were side by side she doubted anyone would notice their resemblance and even if they did there was enough difference that nobody in their right mind would guess off hand.

"I don't want you travelling there alone! You need to be back here for the paternity test. Jiraiya will arrive tomorrow," Tsunade snapped back, her eyes flasing dangerously at Shiho's reluctance.

"You know what! I'll go to Kiba's! I'll be back for the test tomorrow," Shiho spun, unlocking the door with ease and ignored the calls of her kage in favor of putting distance between them. Kiba would be a good distraction from tonight she thought, before scaling the walls of the compound with ease.

Settling into a jog, she made her way to the Inuzuka compound deep in thought. When she woke this morning, Kiba had been the most stressful thing on her mind. Now, she was heading to him for comfort. Not that she could tell him about tonight. She was fairly certain things were classified at the moment.

Within roughly seven minutes of jogging the Inuzuka compound came into view. She nodded a greeting to the guard that let her in with a wave and hastily made her way to the clan heads house. She hesitated before knocking on the door. What if Hana answered? They had a lot to talk about, but she was pretty certain, Hana like her, needed space. Worse would be if Tsume answered and she'd shown up to sleepover with Kiba tonight. Nope, Shiho would be breaking into his room. It was the only viable option for her.

Kiba's window traps were embarrassingly to get by and she vowed to give him a lesson on how to improve on them soon. Slipping into the room with expert silence she chuckled when Akamaru stirred, glanced at her then went back to sleep. Clearly, Akamaru didn't think she was a threat and it was awfully endearing. Kiba's room was smaller than she anticipated, and far more cluttered than hers. There was a familiar figure passed out in the bed and Shiho snuck closer. Shirtless but thankfully still with his jeans on, Kiba was essentially gone from the world.

"Kiba?" Shiho whispered, uncertain of whether climbing into bed with a sleeping shinobi was wise. She'd once tried with Hana and got a kunai slash to the thigh in the process. Hana was rather protective of her personal space and she was not sure if Kiba took after her. She waited a second before trying again a bit louder and placing her hand on his shoulder to try and wake the unconscious shinobi, "Kiba?"

The reaction was immediate from the moment her cool fingers touched his heated skin. Before she could do anything else, narrow yellow eyes shot open and the arm closest to her grasped the collar of her work shirt, pulling her up with him as he stood, legs tangled in his sheets. Buttons sprayed across the room as Shiho panicked and raised her knee sharply to connect with the impressive solidness of Kiba's abs to no apparent effect. She was about to scream for Hana and her ninken, when Akamaru growled and feral eyes focused on her face then widened in recognition.

"Shiho?! What the fuck?" Kiba pushed her away from him in panic and Shiho, not expecting it fell roughly, hitting the desk. She let out a cry at the impact, eyes tearing, as Akamaru growled loudly in concern but stayed rooted to his spot. Kiba gazed at her in horror, still tangled in his sheets.

"Shit Shiho, I'm sorry don't cry!" Kiba made to step towards her but tripped over his sheets falling forward with an even harder crash and effectively pinning her under him. Shiho blushed furiously, blinking away tears as her sensible work skirt rose up dangerously due to the unfortunate placement Kiba's leg. Before the pair of them could even begin to disentangle themselves, Kiba's door was flung open to reveal none other than Hana Inuzuka's mortified face. Kiba couldn't see it, he was still facing her but Shiho caught the flash of killing intent Hana leaked, not in her chakra but in her gaze. Flashbacks of a feral Hana on a certain mission rushed up on her and instinctively she realized what Hana thought she was seeing.

For the first time in years, Shiho enhanced the chakra in her arms sending Kiba flying towards his wardrobe and out of the way, just before Hana's kick connected with her face that had just replaced the back of Kiba's skull. Agony crossed her features but she instinctively grabbed Hana's ankle, hard enough to crack bone as the brunettes eyes flashed between a million emotions, not once betraying pain.

"Its really not what it looks like," Shiho promised her, trying to keep her voice even despite the pain of the blow. Instant relief flashed across Hana's face and Shiho loosened her grip on her friend apologetically.

"Its not?" Hana asked in relief and when Shiho nodded the brunette sighed and simply walked out of the room without further prompt in true Hana fashion. Hana tried to hide it, but Shiho caught the barest signs of a limp and winced on Hana's behalf. Fracturing the bone was harsh but it wasn't like she had much practice in battle nor showing any restraint. She was a cryptologist, chances were if she was in an actual fight it as to the death. Groaning from the wardrobe, revealed a mostly alright Kiba getting up with Akamaru at his heels. She shot him an apologetic look as she contemplated the mess in his room. Akamaru, sensing things had calmed downed, wondered off to his corner of the room, Kiba's ninken content to get back to sleep.

"Do I even wanna know?" Kiba asked her sheepishly. Shiho shook her head in response unwilling to explain anything with her jaw this sore, shrugging of her lab coat and letting it fall to the floor as she got on his bed, removing her sandals.

She did not notice the other shinobi in the room's face turn several shades of red in response but did see his nervousness.

"Woah! Shiho, what is going on?" Kiba panicked visibly at her getting comfortable on his bed. Shiho rolled her eyes at him. For someone notoriously forward Kiba was acting awfully prudish. Hana hadn't exactly downplayed Kiba's popularity with woman in private conversation.

"Kiba, the hokage ordered I stay here tonight. Now shut up and get in bed or go sleep elsewhere. I'm too tired to talk right now okay?" Shiho patted the space on bed next to her and found herself unusually pleased that Kiba hesitated only a second before scooping up a blanket and joining her, a strange emotion on his face. She was a bit surprised when muscular arms encircled her waist and Kiba pulled her to his chest. She was about to furiously ask him to let her go when his expression stopped her. The Inuzuka boy brought a hand up to delicately trace her face.

"Face sore, babe?" He murmured and Shiho blushed furiously as she shook her head. He raised a brow at her denial, and she sighed dramatically.

"So what if it is?" She asked, daring placing her palms on his chest. Kiba's breathing stopped for a second while his touch stiffened and Shiho wondered if her own touch had somehow crossed a line. She was was about to withdraw when Kiba's hand left her face and wandered to her thigh, hitching it over his. Her eyes widened and she almost made to retract herself when he spoke.

"It's a pretty face," Kiba said his hand tracing circles on her back. Shiho's breath caught as she contemplated what to do. Akamaru was still in the room so she was certain Kiba wouldn't dare initiate something more adult despite the instant rush of heat she was sure he could smell between her legs. Dare she enquire what the Inuzuka boy was up to or should she dare enjoy a rather sexy muscular man giving her the kind of attention she'd always fantasized about?

"Kiba? What are you doing?" Shiho asked, at this point her day had been crazy enough already. What was one more thing?

"I don't know really, should I stop?" Kiba asked and Shiho's couldn't help but think his concerned expression was unexpectedly cute. It was absurd, feral beasts should not be cute. Especially feral beasts like Kiba.

"Don't," Shiho replied and ignored the second flush of heat her body felt as Kiba grinned at her happily. Daringly, she slipped her hands behind his neck and pressed his lips to his. The kiss was gentle. Too gentle, for an Inuzuka to be satisfied by but Kiba didn't press her further. Simply closing his eyes and falling asleep soon after. Snuggling closer to him, fatigue hitting her hard she murmured into the night.

"Goodnight Kiba."


	36. Tsuna and Maru

**[A/N: I have absolutely no regrets about this chapter. Originally the flashback was meant to be a part of an earlier chapter but i rewrote it to fit into the current situation better. Reviews are love. Also it's been about a year since I started this, if anyone was paying attention.]**

 **TSUNADE**

Sleep in the Senju compound did not come easy to her especially after the way that Shiho had stormed out. That girl was surprisingly unapologetic in nature despite her timid appearance. At 3am and several sake bottles down haunted by memories long forgotten, Tsunade could only hope that Shiho's assumption she was a test tube baby made in a lab by Orochimaru was true. However, Shiho's age and mother's occupation were too convenient. She didn't think it was the truth and if it was revealed a lie, she shuddered to think what the outcome would be. Some secrets Tsunade had sworn to take to her grave but it looked as if faith may have forced her hand tonight. She'd do the paternity test under the slim possibility that Shiho was right but, in her soul, she knew the truth. She'd never expected a child to look like her and share her colouring, although admittedly with a far more androgynous figure than hers.

Everything made sense after Shiho's revelation. An unusual female team with two high profile heavy hitters, Hana and Ayaka. The quick promotions to chuunin? Placing a trap specialist and saboteur in cryptology? Hiruzen knew how to hide someone in plain sight but that sensei had been a mistake. Or perhaps it hadn't been. She didn't want to think Hiruzen had known of Kanato's indiscretions but if any heir would kill a man for touching her it would be Tsume's eldest. Inuzuka, Inuzuka woman especially protected their young. Hana had been older than the other two Genin. Tsume didn't raise weaklings and had Hana failed to end him then Hiashi or Tsume would certainly. The two heads were genin teammates in their youth. Hiruzen played politics well and politics was a dark and perverse game.

With Tsume's sense of smell she couldn't have not known. With Hiashi's eyes he couldn't have blind. With Sarutobi's resources he couldn't have claimed ignorance.

The thoughts were sickening. She didn't pretend to know Tsume's or Hiashi's end goals but Sarutobi's was obvious.

Hana, young as she had been was clearly the leader of the trio and had been the one to instruct them in their genin days. If the Inuzuka ever had a prodigy, it was her. Ayaka had also shone so brightly with her raw talent. The daughter of Shikato and Aranai, how could she not? The stage had been hers since birth and Hana dominated the spotlight too as an heir not following convention. Who'd notice the plain, civilian born girl on that team? A team who's sensei was taboo to bring up? Tsunade hadn't until Kiba's engagement party. She hadn't expected a child of hers to be so unremarkable in comparison to her peers although she supposed it was poetic justice in a way. It was almost the safest life she could imagine for her child as a shinobi. Cryptologists rarely left the village nor ran missions outside of war.

 _Tsunade stumbled into the bar after ditching Shizune at her hotel. It was that time of year, the anniversary of her brother's death. She was in border town in the land of hot water indulging in the booming nightlife. No longer a shinobi village, it was the perfect place to avoid the blood and gore that was synonymous with the path of the ninja. A path she wanted nothing to do with._

 _Slinking her way to the bartender, she ordered the finest whiskey they'd had on offer. Before settling down onto the stool. She slammed the drink down in a single gulp, about to motion for another when a firm grasp settled on her raised wrist. Normally she'd have body slammed the person that dared touch her, but the person who'd delicately gripped her, she hadn't sensed. Even in an inebriated state, there were only two that could accomplish such a feat and Jiraiya could never be called delicate._ _Hiruzen would not dare._

 _"Orochimaru."_

 _"Tsunade."_

 _"You should be in the Leaf."_

 _"As should you."_

 _Orochimaru slid into the stool next to her and to her relief, signalled for another round of drinks their way. It was always rare for her teammate to indulge in anything. Tsunade raised her brow contemplating the shinobi in front of her. With pale skin, golden eyes with slit pupils, purple eye markings and fang-like his teeth, Orochimaru should look terrifying. Then again, he also has pronounced cheekbones and straight waist-length black hair with some locks covering and framing his face or to his shoulders paired with a slim androgynous figure. While he did strike terror in some, Tsunade could openly admit that her teammate was absurdly attractive. She was insanely jealous. He was too attractive to be lowering himself to drinking in a seedy bar so far from the village she'd once called home._

 _"Thought you didn't drink."_

 _"I do today. You know that."_

 _"Ah, I guess I did. Jiraiya?"_

 _"Ame brats."_

 _"I see."_

 _"Come home, Tsuna."_

 _"Never, Maru."_

 _The whiskey went down smoothly as they snidely responded to each other as if Tsunade had never fled the Leaf, as if Jiraiya's absence wasn't due to some random Ame orphans and Orochimaru had never been abandoned in the Leaf alone by his team. Tsunade dared not say it, but if anyone made her feel comfortable in a crowded room it was the snake sannin next to her. Not even Dan could make her feel that way and she'd loved that man fiercely. There was something about Orochimaru's unyielding ability to take pride in his unusualness that had always left her awestruck yet calm in his confident aura. She'd already been relaxed more now than she ever would as a shinobi in foreign lands. She slammed her drink down relishing in the burn as she contemplated the short life of her brother._

 _"Kami, I miss the kid."_

 _"If I could bring him back I would."_

 _"I know. Thank you."_

 _"Tsuna, I –"_

 _"Maru, I don't want to hear it. Just drink,"_

 _She stood now, stumbling only slightly enough for him to notice, raising her glass to his lips. Their eyes met as she tipped her glass while he tipped his head back. A chuckle escaped her as she stumbled forward again, reaching for Orochimaru's drink to down. His hand snaked around her waist, steadying her as she gulped the amber liquor down, still holding her own glass in her other hand. A drop of whiskey escaped her lips and before it could trace its way down to the valley of her breasts, Orochimaru was there, licking the alcoholic bead away. She shivered at the feeling of his tongue on her body but was too transfixed to react until he retracted himself._

 _The glasses fell to the ground with a shatter and the snake sannin froze, his eyes widening in just as much shock as hers had, once he'd contemplated his action._

 _"Tsuna, I –," his voice trembled and Tsunade was shocked at the vulnerability. Orochimaru was never vulnerable. It was so wrong. Too wrong. There was too much wrong in the world for Orochimaru to hold a pedestal of his own wrongness there. He was the ideal shinobi. Her ideal shinobi._ _He'd always been._

 _With careless action she leaned forward and the shinobi flinched, probably ready to be sent through a wall as she caught his jaw in her hand stopping his speech._

 _"I said I didn't want to fucking hear it, didn't I, Maru?"_

 _He nodded, eyes not leaving hers and Tsunade did the unthinkable. She leaned forward and then the slug princess tasted the snake. She felt him indulge her as they both ignored the angry barmen, his delicate hand slipping behind her neck. For a mere second she imagined him snapping it but instead the man leaned into her as if she were the finest whiskey, he'd ever dare indulge in. Then too soon her pushed her way, albeit reluctantly with uncertainty on his face and lust in his eyes._

 _"This would kill Jiraiya."_

 _She didn't doubt it. What did Jiraiya know of the world and hardship? The only people Jiraiya cared about, his genin team, the ame brats, Hiruzen, Orochimaru and herself were all still alive at least. Left as a baby in the Konoha orphanage, he couldn't even truly comprehend the loss of a family he never knew. A petty thing like an unrequited lover with his best friend? Of course, it would kill him._

 _She and Orochimaru were cut from a different cloth. Her dead brother was enough to attest to that. Orochimaru's parents. Her parents. Her lover. Love was a fleeting thing that had brought them agony. She couldn't dare love so intensely again._

 _"If this is all it takes to kill him, he hasn't met pain," She said, and she felt agreement from him although he gave no verbal nor physical cues._

 _With more bravery than she'd shown in years, she took his hand in hers, pulling her teammate to his feet. He rose reluctantly as she turned to stroll out the bar._

 _'Tsuna I -" He tried to speak but she tightened her grip dangerously and Orochimaru froze behind her, clearly valuing the functionality of his hand._

 _"Just shut up please Maru, for tonight," She all but pleaded and perhaps it had been that fine liquor they hadn't bothered paying for. Or maybe the fleeting knowledge that they'd denied this for too damn long in favour of placating Jiraiya's feelings. Or maybe it was because they were two grey souls that had lost too much and were fated to lose so much more. Perhaps, she mused, it was even destiny._

 _When two lost souls caressed each others wounds long after their scars had healed on a moonless night, under the influence of liquid courage, they'd both finally felt alive. It would be nine long months of coded letters, secret meetings and expert genjutsu on her body to alter her image enough to fool her ward, that evidence of their weakness would be brought into the world._

 _A completely unremarkable baby girl was delivered by the snake sannin, with Shizune drugged by her own sishou into unconsciousness, slumped over on the other side of the room. She couldn't believe she'd actually carried the damned child to term but Orochimaru had all but begged her to and threatened to drag her home. It would cost them both one day, she was certain._

 _She was glad her strongest genjutsu had blocked all evidence of blood from her gaze while Orochimaru got things clean. Childbirth truly was a nightmare. never in kami's name would she ever do this again._

 _"It's a girl Tsuna," Orochimaru said to her and she looked away, unwilling to gaze at the product of their sins. She didn't need to see a child she wouldn't raise. It was safer for the girl, anyway._

 _"I can see that. You need to take her away,"_

 _"Tsunade, reconsider please. Come home, we can raise her."_

 _"I will never go back. Don't take her there, they'll force her into being a shinobi. I don't want her to experience what we have."_

 _"At least let me tell Hiruzen."_

 _"You can't Maru! He's a kage and shinobi first. Even then, he'd tell Jiraiya and he must not know. It would kill him as you've always said."_

 _"I thought you didn't care what he thought."_

 _" **I don't"**_

 _The emphasis she placed on the words was heavy enough to make Orochimaru pause rocking their daughter and glare back at her. For a moment she thought he'd let it go. It had been wistful thinking though as he put into words what she'd always suspected about their team._

 _"Snake loved a toad. Toad loved a slug. Slug loved a snake. Perhaps, that is the true three way deadlock," he murmured as he rocked the girl gently. She flinched at his words. Jiraiya's affections had been no secret of course but the two of them were more subtle. The first time she'd realised it was in Ame. When she wouldn't let Orochimaru kill the injured Jiraiya. When she stood between them with more resolve she'd possessed in years and the pain she'd seen in those snake-like eyes were beyond what she'd seen in what felt like an eon. One didn't look that way over mere friendship. It could only be love, the pure kind untainted yet by lust. Perhaps her gaze had mirrored that pain when she'd realised it. Or perhaps Orochimaru had always known. He was odd like that._

 _The man had an uncanny ability intuitively grasp a concept. Tsunade was awed by the way Orochimaru was taking to fatherhood. She almost felt bad to rob him of it. However, a child of two thirds of the sannin would be a target. Especially a young girl. Her mind flashed to the elder council and a certain war hawk that was all too fond of her raven-haired teammate and her resolve hardened._ _She didn't trust the shinobi system._

 _"Loved is past tense. We are shinobi, feelings don't matter."_

 _"I can't leave the child in an orphanage, Tsuna. Too many end up shinobi during wars."_

 _"A whorehouse."_

 _"You want our daughter to grow up in a whore house? Tsunade are you mad?"_

 _"Take her to one of those high-end tea houses. The ones that don't exploit kids. Pay off some harlots contact and entrust the girl to her. Use henge or genjustu. Tell her you'll be watching. Threaten her. Fuck, convince the bitch she birthed the brat. Fuck her if you must."_

 _She pretended she didn't see the disgust on his features._

 _"What if someone goes after her or the girl? What if someone tries to take our_ _child_?"

 _"Only then, if the secrets out should she go to the Leaf. Tell her to find Hiruzen and say the girls Jiraiya's. They should buy that."_

 _"That won't fool Hiruzen. He'll know, I'm certain. He'd have the child tested discretely. "_

 _"It doesn't need to, he's smart enough to keep quiet if she's under threat. You're a child prodigy and I'm part fucking Senju, part Uzumaki. Jiraiya, strong as he is now was a dead last orphan on paper. He'd be the sannin who's offspring wouldn't be given a glance, especially if the mothers a whore."_

 _"Fine, I'll do it. Nobody will never know the truth of how this child came to be. But for her sake. Not yours, nor Jiraiya's."_

 _"I'll owe you one someday. Thank you, Maru."_

 _"You owe me too much already, Tsuna."_


	37. The grey path between light and dark

**[A/N: As always, a review is very much appreciated. Any suggestions for the Suna arc, coming soon? How do you wager Ayaka's negotiations with Kankuro go?]**

 **SHIKAMARU**

He woke feeling well rested, far too rested in fact. For as long as he could remember he'd always been tired. More so since the defection of Sasuke but even in his Genin days he'd always been overwhelmed by the sheer annoyance of being a genius and the constant need to analyse a situation. Needless to say his peers did not quite understand the mental fatigue that came with the title of genius. By his current analysis, something was wrong because he felt fine- Shikamaru was never just fine- and that confused him because he'd taken a wound to the chest hadn't he? That had surely not been a dream. The silent slicing of flesh and the copper tang of blood mixing with the heavy scent of lust in the room could not have been a mere hallucination. Yet, why had such a situation even occurred?

"You look like shit, Shika," he opened his eyes at the sound of a familiar condescending voice in his room he'd known all his life. Then suddenly his confusion melted as his eyes snapped open and he immediately sat up in an unfamiliar room. She was there, wearing the same Hyuuga kimono, looking a little worse for wear than she usually did. Clearly things had been rough for Ayaka. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen her look so...disheveled. It was eerie to see a person he knew had been tortured. Her eyes seemed sunken and skin was pale, clearly his cousin hadn't rested well and he doubted it was Neji's fault alone.

If any of the Konoha 12 was a gentlemen these days it has to be Neji.

"You're one to talk," he said as stretched himself. He could faintly hear Ino talking harshly to Neji outside and wondered why the two of them were bickering. Had they always been so close? He glanced down at himself, wondering exactly when Ino started feeling like a stranger to him. Less than appropriate thoughts of different blonde came to mind.

He shook his head, ignoring the fact. Temari barely knew Ino, she wasn't to blame. Ino's distance couldn't be due to something as trivial as him and the Sand princess. Ayaka interrupted his thoughts.

"We're in the Senju compound right now. There are several guards, so we are safe. Neji told me what you did and I appreciate it Shika, really," She was smiling at him and despite that, he could sense the slight air of disapproval.

"There's a 'but' to that statement, isn't there?" He asked her warily, glancing around at the room. Kami, this dust! Was the Senju compound ever cleaned? What was Tsunade thinking, treating him in here?

Unaware of his thoughts, Ayaka displayed no agreements towards his sudden onset of germophobia. Instead she raved at him, holding little back.

"You're still an heir Shika. You need to behave like one, dare I lose my battle to Shikaku it will be you on that pedestal alone. You cannot challenge your Hokage like that. We speak for the clan now. Do you even realise what happens to clans that directly oppose a Hokage? You foolish little - "

"The Uchiha were killed by Itachi –"

"Before any action was taken against them! Don't forget, Tobirama himself disbanded the Senju when they got too politically ambitious. I'm warning you Shika, if you want to hold that title as heir you need to behave or I'll eat you alive."

Ayaka stood poised, condescending smirk on her face, as if a threat hadn't left her perfect pout, and Shikamaru remembered exactly why they'd never gotten along. Ayaka valued politics, her clan and her village too much. It was in her very soul at this point. She was even willing to overlook her own torture. He wondered, roles reversed, would she even have defend him? Probably, but he was willing to bet she'd use politics or manipulation. Something a lot more finessed than his plan had been.

Ayaka didn't jump in on two jounin getting laid. The very idea was unthinkable.

"I don't want to be heir for this clan if it means that I was meant to just sit by and let that happen. I don't want that responsibility. I don't want us to compete! It's all troublesome." He stood up, surprisingly steady on his feet. It felt good to yell, no wonder Ino was so loud.

"Stop telling me what you don't wan't! Tell me what you want!" Ayaka yelled back but there was a grin on her face. A flash of his Nara intuition registered that Ayaka had been riling him up for these outbursts on purpose, but he found he didn't quite care.

"I don't want to be an heir! I want to officially date, court or whatever, my girlfriend! Yes, the princess of Suna! I want to make jonin in a couple of years, marry, be a sensei and have a brat or two. I want Sasuke to come back so that Sakura and Naruto aren't always so sad! I want our parents to accept I'm not ready to be a leader. Fuck, I want world peace-"

"I'm gonna have to cut you off there. I'll help you with your goals. All of them, Shika. World peace is a little ambitious though. I'm just a Ninja. " Ayaka glomped him and Shikamaru blinked in surprise, allowing himself to hug his cousin back, although much lighter before he let her go.

"How do you plan on doing that, Ayaka?" He sighed heavily. Ayaka's ploys could either go really well or really badly. It was always either extreme. Ayaka didn't play it safe. That's why he always struggled against her at Shoji.

"Tsunade needs me to head a diplomatic mission to Suna, in order to foster bonds or what not. I will negotiate on your behalf as a Nara Jonin representative with whoever necessary."

"Temari's brothers, they won't take it well." Gaara and Kankuro probably knew of his interest in their sister already. However, he didn't know how the two felt about it, and Temari had offered no information if she did. Still the sand siblings, all three of them, were renowned for their individual tempers and he wasn't too optimistic about not gaining at least someones anger by trying to court Temari.

"Honestly, the Kazekage is not allowed to represent his family due to Konoha's and Suna's relationship. It will really just be the other one and…I happen to know Kankuro," Ayaka explained looking kind of sheepish. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at that look. There was surely a story there.

"Do I want to know? Kami, Ayaka please tell me you didn't fuck my girlfriend's baby brother?" He asked, exasperation in his voice.

"No, you moron! We had joint ANBU missions together. You know, the reconciliation program after the invasion?"

"Kankuro is in seduction?"

"…."

Ayaka's silence was enough to inform him that it would be smart to drop the topic which made sense. ANBU had their own codes to abide by. Still, that didn't mean he didn't have questions. However, his musings about the puppeteer could wait.

"When do we leave?"

"In about a week or so. I'm having surgery tomorrow, hopefully to fix my ninjutsu problems. I also need to select a three-man team to come with us. We are going to be going as Diplomats, not active Shinobi, understand," Ayaka warned him.

"Yes, I know. I'll behave. How long will we be in Suna? And you're surgery? Can you travel and fight in an emergency?"

He was quite certain his skepticism was not concealed. Ayaka was unusually stern as she met both his non-verbal and verbal accusations head on, with haughty tanacity usually unreserved for his clansmen. Her vermilion eyes, her most striking feature, met his daringly and while he always found her eyes a creepy reminiscence of the sharingan red, he couldn't help but find them fearsome.

There was a lot you could see from a person's eyes. Ayaka's gaze promised a lot of things. He couldn't help but wonder how many of those things would be in his favor.

"I will be able to fight, don't worry about that. I know someone is still out to kill me. We will be in Suna for two weeks, so keep it in your pants, my foolish _Otouto._ "

"Yeah like you and Neji will behave, my virtuous _Oneesan."_ He retorted, sarcasm lacing his words, not unlike venom. She smirked in response.

"He won't be coming. As a Jonin he has other missions to run as well as a wedding to plan."

A fairly logical scenario, except...

"You're making Neji plan your whole wedding? Really?" He asked incredously, while his cousin shrugged in a way not unlike his dad did when he was giving Yoshino the slip.

"Well, Ino's helping, " she retorted, hands on her waist almost daring him to complain. And complain, he did.

"Kami, why are you punishing the man? Fucking sadistic souls!" He face palmed at the idea. Kami could only help Neji at this rate. This had to be some kinda devine karma on the Hyuuga for being such a prick back in the day.

"Shut up! Someones got to do it, and I've got to train to take on Shikaku. It's _troublesome,_ NaraNara. "

"You're really gonna fight old _Shikobakaku,_ huh? And don't call me, Nara. You're also one, it's weird" He shot her strange a look

Which she graced with her own scowl.

"Don't look at me like that. You know he had this fight coming." She pouted and he couldn't resist the urge to sigh because dammit she was right. His dad refused to see reason. Genius or not, he simply neither had the natural intuition nor drive Ayaks had to take charge. She was a leader and she shone like a beacon.

Sure, he had the potential to lead but he didn't want to. The limelight just wasn't for him. He'd always preferred to work in the shadows. He was the darkness to her night sky. The venom to her poison. The booksmart to her street smart. The shoji to the chess set. They were so damn similar but not the same.

She wanted to be heir with every fiber in her being because she had a plan, goal, objective. To her it was an honor.

He wanted to give up his prestige with all his soul to simply be the Kazekage's sisters lover in peace. To him it was a burden.

Could he side with her in a fight against fate and destiny? She who boasted Neji, destiny and fate's very own prophet wrapped around her finger?

Shikamaru didn't even need to think about it. He disliked his cousin, from birth according to Shikaku. However, he didn't know anyone else more likely to have the world bowing at her feet.

"I know and I'm counting on you to win it. No matter how much he pretends he isn't, _Shikobakaku's_ a traditionalist. Neither of us ever will be. You'd make a good heir Ayaka, he'll see it in time." He spoke his truth and she nodded perhaps knowing exactly what had gone down in his thoughts. If she did she didn't voice an opinion.

"We hope," she conceded to which he greeted with a snort that she pretended not to notice. However, that simple word ' _we_ ' was enough for him to relax. She'd acknowledged his comradie in the affair. That was all he really needed at the end of the day.

"Anyway, I smell like shit. I'm gonna soak in the bath." He brushed passed her, picking up a musty looking towel with a look of distaste and was about to exit before Ayaka replied.

"Sure, just make sure you check in with Ino when you're done and also there's one more thing. Tsunade-sama mentioned in her briefing that Naruto was back." She was looking at him curiously, no doubt high enough in the village pecking order to know exactly what Naruto was and clearly curious as to his response about the Kyuubi's return.

Shikamaru didn't bother to hide the way his face lifted at her words and his cousin smiled back at him, for once dropping her trademark smirk. Looking back at it, he could almost call her gaze endearing. Which was absurd. Girls like her couldn't possibly be something so innocent as endearing.

 **TSUNADE**

It had been a busy day. They had at least an hour left before they needed to go see Naruto and Sakura face off against Kakashi, but Tsunade had a few things left to do. Shiho had showed up, clad in Inuzuka clan wear and new bruises, submitted for the test, along with a surprised Jiraiya this morning. She'd signed Ino off to do Ayaka's surgery at the latter's convenience and take Inoichi home to recuperate. Then she'd written to the Kazekage that they'd be sending a few Diplomats for the trade discussions to be held in Suna soon. Ayaka had then been briefed on the Suna mission, interrogation results and was told to brief Shikamaru when he woke up. The Nara girl had also vehemently complained about the state of the compound before she threw her out.

Kami help Suna deal with this diplomat. If Ayaka found dust annoying she wondered how the girl would fare with sand. While there were ulterior motives to her Diplomat status, she couldn't think of a better person to diffuse any hostilities caused by Shikamaru's antics with Suna's princess then Ayaka. She hoped it would all go okay. Plus, if the girl had any interest in training Suna would be ideal. It would at least get the girl out of the village and she'd cautioned the Kazekage to keep her safe. Shikaku hadn't reported to her today and she pitied the man. Both his brats were without doubt plotting against him. The pair bickered like hell but should they unite against a common foe, she was certain they'd be formidable.

The girl had even made pretty ballsy political moves in her office. She'd indulged Ayaka, if only because it would no doubt infuriate a certain War hawk.

In addition to everything, Ino had brought the case of an unusual shinobi to her. Tsunade had summoned Tenzou, a former underling of the the darkest parts of ANU to check things out. She prayed nothing was too sinister was because the shinobi's Ino was investigating was awfully young to be skimping on mandatory medical checks, as Ino had discovered.

The results for the DNA test had also come in and Jiraiya and Shiho were in her office. The former sweating bullets and the later looking exasperated for even being there.

"Jiraiya, you're off the hook. She isn't your's at all," Tsunade started, pausing when she saw the sheer shock the girls face reflected. Kami, the poor thing was going to hate them. Tsunade almost regretted her choices years ago to not raise the girl.

"How is that possible? Hiruzen himself confirmed it to me," Shiho said wide eyed.

"Uhm, right well should I leave?" Jiraiya inched towards the door with relief on his features, but Tsunade glared at him until he paused.

"Have a seat the two of you. I'd offer you sake but Shizune hid hers and mines all done," She gestured to the seats in her office and Shiho and Jiraiya sunk into them each eyeing her warily.

"I'm not going to like this, am I?" Jiraiya asked. The toad sannin's face was surprisingly gentle despite the sorrow in his eyes and Tsunade knew then, that he knew. Or at least suspected. Why else would she ask him to stay?

"I'm sorry, Jiraiya."

"Don't be Tsuna. You've got a story to tell, right?"

So Tsunade told her story. The good, the bad, the ugly. She told them about the pub and the finest whiskey she'd ever tasted and never wanting to return to the Leaf. She told them about the wounds that only the snake and slug could ease for each other on a moonless night. How Orochimaru had begged to keep their daughter. How he'd taken naturally to fatherhood and how she hadn't so much as glanced at their child. She told them how he'd made him take their baby to a whorehouse and apply genjustu to one of its ladies and ply her with money, sex and threats. She told them that Shiho was only to end up in Konoha if something went wrong and the whore would claim Jiraiya was the father and Hiruzen would protect the girl. She told them she hadn't realised that her daughter would look like her. She hadn't wanted her child to be a ninja. She hadn't wanted the girl to see blood.

In the end, Shiho walked out of the office without a word, her whole body tense. Tsunade didn't bother to go after her daughter. The girl was not weak emotionally. She had gotten that from Orochimaru, at the very least. She was more concerned about Jiraiya who sat still, staring at her.

"It was you, Tsunade. You were the reason."

"What reason, Jiraiya?"

"Something pushed him, over the edge. Orochimaru, he was always a bit dark but sometimes but all he wanted was to master ninjutsu. He didn't want to leave the Leaf ever. He wasn't like us."

"I know but he killed Hiruzen and we can't ignore that. He did go bad, for no excusable reason."

"You stressed so hard on not wanting your daughter to be a Kunoichi. Then Hiruzen sticks her with a god damned pedophile as a shinobi sensei. What do you think Orochimaru was going to do? He killed off the loose ends. Her 'mother'and her 'guardian' who could have outed the truth are long dead. Didn't the 'mother' arrive here saying that he was after her? Hejust wanted his kid back!"

Tsunade froze her eyes widening as she remembered a snippet of a conversation she'd been dwelling on for years.

 _"Fine, I'll do it. Nobody will never know the truth of how this child came to be."_

 _"I'll owe you one someday, Maru."_

 _"You owe me too much already, Tsuna."_

When he'd come to her to heal his arms, Orochimaru had been claiming his debt and she'd known it. In return, she'd sided with Jiraiya. She hadn't been wrong to do it, considering his crimes. However, that killing intent she'd felt from her former teammate, had it been from genuine hate? Was she the reason that Orochimaru, who'd always walked the grey path between light and dark with such finesse, had turned his back on all things good in the world?

Tsunade schooled her features, it wasn't the time to dwell on things she dared not change.

"Enough of this Jiraiya. We're needed elsewhere," she said, firmly ending the discussion for now.

"Of course, Hokage-sama," Jiraiya responded coolly, her title an obvious sign he was upset with her. They walked out of the office, and Tsunade forced herself to keep her emotions in check. Right now, Naruto was her priority, as was Sakura and the Nara heirs. Flesh and blood Shiho may be, but she was doing fine and had been doing fine all along without them.

Tsunade would, however, be having a word with Inuzuka matriarch about the bruises gracing her daughter's face.


	38. Spiders and War Paint

**KIBA**

Things in his life lately had been increasingly unusual. Or at least things with the woman in his life had been, he contemplated while drying off the last dish. His mother, dare he steal Shikamaru's signature phrase, had always been troublesome. Yet, when the the hokage had sent her a summons for early the next day, the Inuzuka matriarch had simply growled with fierce anger, crushing the summons in her hand and immediately stalked off, in the direction of Konoha hospital. While he didn't doubt his mother was occasionally hot headed, he couldn't help but note her reaction to whatever other details the summon's had held was a tad extreme. Tsume Inuzuka was no pushover and he pitied the being that had incurred her wrath.

He hadn't missed the subtle exchange of glances between Hana and Shiho as well. The silent argument taking place, quirked his curiosity but he pretended not to notice it, humming as he started to dry the glasses. With a final nod from the blonde in the room, his sister ran off behind their mother, her ninken following suit. Hana had been acting unusual lately and Kiba, valuing his life, hadn't pried with the events of the night before still fresh in his mind.

He would have been a little mortified at the idea of dainty little Shiho taking a blow from someone as heavy handed as Hana, but when she'd shoved him off her, he realized that the blondes' blows were equally ferocious. She lacked speed, technique and finesse but the punch itself held raw power. It was nothing close to what Sakura could achieve, the Pinkette could easily level a forest with a punch, but he was sure Shiho could crush bone on a whim if her skills were on par to her strength. It was impressive for a paper ninja, to say the least. That little show of strength and that all too gentle kiss had definitely been occupying his thoughts for the day.

Shiho an enigma. She hadn't explained her presence in his room yet, although he was fairly certain that something big had happened for the Hokage to order her to sleep over at her fiancee's place and for her to actually obey. Before he'd gotten a chance to question in the morning however, she'd been gone her scent lingering in his room the only sign she'd been in his bed. Her ability to sneak in and out of his room, disarming and rearming his traps, as well as scrawling him a quick apology note without him or Akamaru noticing was almost alarming.

He'd been contemplating finding her when she'd waltzed into the compound, clearly upset and had barricaded herself in his sister's room. He'd been surprised the pair had even joined for supper, the solemn affair. Ayaka hadn't showed. It was odd but niether girl brought it up so he figured they knew she wouldn't. Kiba hadn't dared to ask why everyone had been in a bad mood. As an Inuzuka, you learnt to pick your battles with the fairer sex and he would find out why everyone was in a mood but tonight was definitely not the time. He did quite value his life after all.

Still, he was alone with his betrothed at the compound for once. It would be a damn shame if he didn't at least try to take advantage of it.

"Shiho"

"Kiba-kun?"

"Are you maybe planning on explaining last night, babe? Ravishing as you were, you did break into my room, shove me into a wardrobe, injure my sister then get into my bed."

"No."

Shiho glared at him adorably from her spot against the counter, and he suddenly realised that she wasn't wearing her ridiculous glasses. For once he could see her face clearly and honestly, he was not disappointed despite her modest attire of loose lavender dress and tights. It was indeed a pretty face. Sure, Shiho had nothing on girls like Ayaka, but he was quickly realising the plain but pretty girl was actually a lot more intriguing.

Ayaka was like a painting, easily a work of art at first glance and he couldn't fault himself for noticing her. He couldn't deny that Neji was a lucky guy nor would he deny the small sense of envy he held for the newbie Jonin.

Shiho on the other hand was like a puzzle. Something difficult that he would normally not spare a glance for outside of chance. However, now that he had, he was fully aware that he was quickly becoming invested in solving the little cryptographer more so than he'd ever tried with any woman, the Nara girl included.

He couldn't believe that Shikamaru of all people had held no affection for either girl. Temari was hot, definitely. However she was a foriegn princess and held a temper that rivaled Yoshino Nara. For as long as he knew Shikamaru he'd always wanted an easygoing life. A girl like Shiho could've given it to him. A girl like Ayaka as well, under the best circumstances. But Temari? They'd be more likely to accidentally cause a war with their relationship, depending on her brothers moods. Kankuro wasn't a pushover and Gaara was a fucking Kage. There were rumors Temari's hand was heavily sought after by Shinobi and royalty alike in the sand. What chance did a lazy ass, brilliant as Shikamaru was, have?

"I ain't gonna press you, love. You are staying tonight?" He asked her, inching closer and tossing his used dish cloth into the sink. Akamaru, thank kami, was preoccupied with his meal still and hadn't left the newly renovated dining room. Normally he didn't mind his partners presence but tonight conversations needed to be had and privacy was important. He happily invaded the blonde's space, finding her reddening face amusing. Kiba could practically feel his facial muscles sink into a practically feral grin as he eyed his prey. She met his gaze with the barest whimper as she almost unwillingly eyed his body.

He was well aware he wasn't Shiho's ideal type on paper, but he was an Inuzuka and nobody could deny his superior scent of smell. When he'd woken, his room had been heavy with the musky scent of lust, paper and ink she'd left behind. It had stroked his ego in more ways then one and the cold shower he had to make use of had left him frustrated as hell. He was Kiba Inuzuka. He hadn't had a cold shower in years dammit! He cursed his hormones.

The girl, who surprisingly wasn't cowering at his slow advance, licked her lips and Kiba couldn't help himself, despite the fact that she hadn't yet responded. His hands trapped her against the counter as he dipped his face enough to graze his lips against her neck, smirking as he faintly smelt that scent in the air again. He thought he could get use to this. Turning Shiho on was becoming a surprisingly entertaining idea.

"I…uh…haven't asked Tsume, yet," her lithe fingers cautiously rose and dug into his hair. Kiba couldn't see her face but he knew it had to be red. His pressed butterfly kisses to her neck, pretending not to notice the way her breath hitched and how she delicately began to arch into him.

"It didn't stop you last night and besides," he pulled away from her neck to quickly wink at those _oh so amber_ eyes, and continued, "With everyone else gone I'm _The Inuzuka_ now. I can give you permission."

"Ah…Uhm…okay?"

Her words gave him the consent he desired, and he scooped her up, ignoring her indignant squawk and practically ran to his room, tossing the cryptologist onto his bed. Sparing her another quick wink, he deliberately and slowly bolted his door. Akamaru would have have to fend for himself tonight. She met his predatory gaze with confusion and surprisingly little fear as he loomed over her, not yet ready to get onto the bed yet. Kiba still needed to voice his intentions.

"Shiho, I want to date you."

Of all the words his fiancée had been expecting, that clearly hadn't been it. She gawked at him incredulously, sitting up on his unmade bed. He couldn't help but find it slightly amusing as he awaited her response.

" _Baka!_ We're engaged," her exasperation leaking in her voice.

"I can smell arousal on you. I know you aren't the type to casually fuck, and if I'm honest neither am I. You want me. Your scent is making me crazy. So, lets date so we can fuck sometime," even as he said it Kiba cringed. Words were not his forte, and he was certain the alarming shade of red Shiho was turning was definitely not born out of lust. The platinum blonde's face turned various shades of red before she finally mustered a response.

"WHAT THE FUCK YOU HORNY LITTLE MUTT…mhmmmhhm…oh….hmm…"

He didn't let her finish her sentence before bending towards her. For the most part, Kiba had always been gentle with Shiho, save their little spar. Yet this time he didn't hold back, pulling the blonde up harshly by her ponytail mid rant and slamming his lips against hers. She responded almost immediately, the scent of arousal in his room was almost overwhelming as he swallowed her gasps and moans. His other arm slipped around her dragging her slim body flush against him. When he finally let her go, she slumped and with surprising force pulled him onto the bed with her. For a moment she was silent, chewing on a heavily abused lip before she spoke.

"Why date me, when both by your rights as my future husband and by my bodies reactions you know you can fuck me and I wouldn't want to object? I know how the smell thing works from Hana." Her question was an expected one and he didn't hide his sigh as she eyed him.

"Look, I know I'm from a clan and arranged marriages are no big deal to most but the Inuzuka usually aren't usually like that for non-heirs. I just thought us dating would make this feel more natural. I can practically taste your attraction to me in the air, but we both know its just physical attraction," He explained, taking Shiho's hand with a squeeze.

"I won't deny its just physical now, but you aren't a bad guy Kiba. I could give dating my future husband a shot," her voice was teasing as she squeezed his hand back before continuing, "So, what does dating _The Inuzuka_ entail?"

"The typical. Meals, sparring, making out…and maybe if I'm lucky someday I'll get laid?" Kiba chuckled as he caught her lips again. She didn't reply, but with the way she kissed him back? Kiba was definitely going to consider this one his win.

 **KANKURO**

He delicately handed over the missives from the Leaf that Gaara had asked him to fetch an hour beforehand. Sheepishly he grinned at his brother, who somehow managed to remain completely authoritarian mid face palm.

"Who in the missive room do I need to reassign now?" Gaara asked nonchalantly while glancing trough documents.

"Hah! Gaara, always thinking the worst of me! If you must know, I was on my way to the missive room when councilman Yoro-"

"Oh so it's Yoro-sans lipstick on you, " Gaara stoicly interjected as Kankuro froze, internally freaking out because that damned Yurichi-chan was wearing bright fuschia lipstick! How could he be so dumb. In order to remove that he was going to have to mess with his foundation. Thank goodness he kept his full _war paint kit_ in a scroll on him at all times. It would take him at least an hour to fix!

"In my defense she's a total babe, I don't know why you're keeping her there all by herself-," Kankuro began, exaggerating his passion in an attempt to distract Gaara's disapproval. It appeared he needn't have bothered, the Leaf had accomplished that meagre task for him.

"Enough. The Hokage has informed me they are sending a delegation to settle some diplomacy issues as well as to sit in on the discussion we are having about renewable energy."

"We have diplomacy issues? Temari said things were going fine. Also they weren't planning on attending that negotiation or discussion thing. Should we inform them about Kumo?" He asked in concern.

Gaara had invited representatives from all the nations, and while many of the smaller shinobi villages were keen to send representatives, initially only Kumo had responded. He highly suspected that it was mainly because the Leaf had initially not had a diplomat for Suna, given how often Temari spoke directly with the hokage. Kankuro wasn't sure he trusted Kumo, but Gaara was willing to give them a chance and Kankuro would stand by his brothers decision.

"I don't believe that's necessary. We've been asked to protect the diplomat in question who will be healing after a surgery. She most likely will have to put on a show with the negotiations but the hokage has offered an A-rank fee to keep the Nara's out of harms way. If diplomacy is a front, we can keep the delegates away from each other. " Gaara was thoughtful and Kankuro couldn't fault the plan. It wasn't like the could reject it anyway. Suna needed A-ranks.

"Which Nara's?" Kankuro asked grudgingly, knowing of his sisters infatuation with a very specific Nara.

" Shikamaru and Ayaka. Anyone else in thier entourage as well. The hokage is also providing guards, " Gaara's tone was grave as he frowned at the missive. Kankuro didn't blame him... It was odd, to say the least.

"Ayaka? That sounds familiar. Additional guards? What does she thinks gonna attack them?" Kankuro asked incredously. That was excessive. When Temari heard she would flip out at the idea that Shikamaru required that much attention and protection.

"Ayaka is ANBU Spider-"

"The babe from the councilman Herota mission?"

"Shut up Kankuro! The Nara's are both healing and I understand several attempts were made on Spiders life. They are here as diplomats and clients and you will behave accordingly." Gaara's word was final and Kankuro nodded in respect.

"Spider still owes me a fight," he muttered under his breath. His brother didn't acknowledge his words but glared at him sharply.

" Temari will handle any diplomacy issues. You'll handle the A-rank. If Temari can't complete her duties or vice versa, you'll take on each other's roles too. Am I clear?"

He nodded. Temari was by far his superior in skill, but she had too deep an attachment to Shikamaru to adequately protect the pair without bias. In addition, since he'd left ANBU he'd been trying to get the hang of diplomacy, seeing as he was now the Kazekage's full time assistant but he didn't have the experience his sister had. Gaara had assigned roles adequately and he hoped the Suna council wouldn't object.

Spider had been pretty politically savvy on thier last encounter. He wondered what the ANBU looked like without henge. Was she as pretty as the woman she had masqueraded as? Normally it was taboo to reveal the name of an ANBU. The hokage must think them finding her familiar may make them guard her with extra care. However there were consequences. Despite being on friendly terms, Suna's bingo book was up to date. The moment he laid eyes on Ayaka Nara she was getting an entry. All ANBU in essence were a danger, but honeypots were a danger that all men could succumb to. Beauty in itself sometimes hid who the real monsters were.

Temari was a pretty face. Yet, she'd rip you to ribbons in an instant if you got her on a bad day. She'd smile that smile and the council members would melt, condoning her ferocious ways. Gaara, despite his former homicidal tendencies was swarming with fangirls who didn't notice the occasional flash of malice in his eyes when Shukaku acted up. It was always the attractive ones that held the most danger.

"Yes, Kazekage Sama, " he said gravely, frowning as he contemplated himself. He was attractive but he hid it well. Surely that exempted him from the pretty but psycho syndrome that afflicted ninja. He felt saner than his brother and sister, hidden under puppeteer garb and war paint.

"Good. Now get out and clean up your face."


	39. Art in all its forms

**AYAKA**

She was glaring at her fiancée across the table in front off her. Under normal circumstances Neji did not really do much to earn himself in her bad graces but today was different. Evident by the fact that said fiancée was trying to make it up to her, taking her out to a small restaurant in the Hyuuga compound.

Several other customers, all of the Hyuuga clan, stared at the couple in blatent curiosity and perhaps a little envy. It was no secret that Neji was a prodigy and Ayaka was considered a beauty. Their pairing was an intriguing matter to the public especially since nobody had ever seen the pair dating prior to the wedding announcements. While marrying outside of the clan did happen it was a rarity. Not many held enough favor with the clan head to approve of such a move. To the average Hyuuga Neji was a prodigy, a branch member and most importantly an figure to be admired. Ayaka had to hand it to him, despite all she'd heard of Neji's past he was a surprisingly good role model.

She was surprisingly in good shape after being discharged from surgery into Gai's care. Thank Jashin, Tenten had convinced Gai that Ayaka required an afternoon of meditation and not intense training to get back in shape. She really hoped Ino's plan worked. The blonde medic seemed confident and both the Hokage and Hana had backed the procedure. It would be nice to let loose in a fight completely again. She wondered vaguely how she'd fare against guy then shuddered. She didn't want to know.

"I just got out of surgery and you chose to leave me at the mercy of Gai?" Her voice was shrill as she placed a hand on her hip. Neji, glanced back almost serenely but the slight twitch that he couldn't quite control betrayed his amusement. Gai, and Lee too for what it was worth, were an acquired taste in terms of company. No wonder Neji and Tenten were so close.

"You left me to Ino and Yoshino for wedding planning. Its only fair, _hime,_ " Neji raised a brow at her before continuing, "Besides, the hokage's ordered you to be under protection until you get back from the Suna mission."

That pissed her off but at least it wouldn't be too long since she was back on full duty. She wasn't a fool and she knew the diplomacy mission, while crucial towards he and Shikamaru's own end goals, was to keep her safe. Someone wanted to kill her and the hokage probably wouldn't give her a damned hint about who or what it was until she proved herself as a Jonin again.

"Ugh, I know. Can you believe the Hyuuga council doesn't believe a three-man cell would be enough as an escort?" She asked, amused. She was honestly flattered by the gesture. They'd volunteered thier most elite bodyguard even! She hadn't expected the council to fret over her safety when she'd met them. Honestly, she thought they'd drill her about wedding stuff. Apparently though, Ino and Yoshino had that aspect quite thoroughly covered. Neji had wasted no time in voicing his distaste for how stressful wedding planning was with the duo.

" _Hime,_ just humor them. One Hyuuga Jonin won't compromise the mission parameters. Besides, its Ko they're sending. Its more of a punishment for his _indiscretions_ then anything else. The council does not favour such public spectacles. I'm surprised his punishment wasn't severe."

Poor Ko. Even she had to agree, messing with Shizune was a bad idea. Messing with Tsunade was terrible, true but Shizune had access to everything. The assistant could make a jonins life living hell if she so wished.

"Jashin help that boy, poor Shizune has run him rugged as well. Did you know she assigned him a D-rank to clean the sewers?" Both Jonin shuddered at the thought having done the job in thier Genin days.

"You have chosen a team outside of Ko, right? I do hope you're taking safety seriously, " Neji asked, his grimace fading into concern.

"I'm taking Kotetsu and Izumo. Probably Genma if I can pry him from his mystery girl," she replied taking a sip of her tea. She closed her eyes feeling nostalgic as she instinctively stroked the hilt of her Katana.

"Interesting choices. You sure its wise?" She could sense the question Neji was actually asking. With a sigh, she reached across the table, taking his hand.

"Genma trained us all in the art of weaponry when I was still an academy brat. In some way's we were the Genin team he's never had. Those bonds we share are strained from the frivolous love triangles and stupidity that youth brews but make no mistake _they are men that would bleed for me, and I for them._ " She found herself stressing the point to the Hyuuga in front of her. He raised his hands in defense. She hadn't missed the way he cringed at the word youth. Poor thing, Gai related Ptsd was definitely a real affliction.

"I understand," he replied reaching for her and squeezing her hand back reassuringly as she rolled her eyes at the feeble attempt of a lie.

"No, you don't Hyuuga. There's a difference between people who'd die for you and people you'd kill for. One day, when you're kill count is in the triple digits let me know. You'll understand."

"Please elaborate," Neji was curious in a way that made him frown almost adorably at her. She chuckled.

"There's a difference Neji between striking killing blows with ninjutsu, genjutsu, poison or simply with your fists than from kills with weapons. Its an artistry almost to become desensitized to them. Weapons are a vice as much as they are a tool. Mastery requires no chakra but a certain level of intimacy with dealing death blows. Tell me Hyuuga, do you know what it feels like to rip apart muscle, bone and flesh on your own artistic whims?"

"No, I can't say I do," Neji replied and she nodded at him, almost serene.

"I hope you never do."

 _"Hime?"_

 _"Hyuuga sama?"_

"Before you go to Suna, there's some place I'd like you to see."

"Of course."

 **ITACHI**

He knew Deidera was stronger than Hidan on the best of days. It wasn't that Hidan was untalented exactly, but immortality had initially made the zealot complacent. If he wasn't a living zombie, Itachi would wager Hidan was an A rank threat at best. Or at least he would've several years ago. He narrowed his eyes at the form that Hidan was using. If he was in better shape, he would've used his sharingan to copy it. As it was, he was resisting the urge to cough. He knew as soon as he exerted himself the act would be futile, but he didn't plan on going all out until he was facing Sasuke and even then, he knew he'd hold back. Like Sasori, he felt no urge to fight to the best of his ability. In fact he felt no real urge to fight at all.

Deidera used the art of eight limbs style of taijutsu and his proficiency in it had grown since his days in Iwa. Fast-paced and combining both boxing and kicking in one swirling melee, Deidera expertly struck out at the eight traditional points of contact while keeping himself on his feet. To Itachi's surprise though, Deidera wasn't winning this spar. Unlike most forms of taijutsu that stressed spirituality or self-preservation, Hidan had started to favour a form that catered solely for violence. Hidan favoured Silat, a style well known to be powerful often using their opponents weaknesses against them. With fixed hand positions, low stances, and slow dance-like movements, Hidan had Deidera on a steady defence. Every strike packed power and even at just a glance Itachi could easily see the style could be adjusted to accommodate for the scythe on Hidan's back should he choose to wield it. Speed, leverage and devastating disabling moves were clearly the zealot's prerogative and Itachi internally shuddered that someone had thought it wise to educate Hidan in a form designed to shatter bone and break all traditional rules of close combat sparring. Watching them spar was like watching the most vile poetry in motion. It was art, vicious and sweaty but art nonetheless.

Usually he respected Deidera's training and rarely paid it any mind but Deidera would be leaving soon, to capture the Kazekage. It would make sense he'd take on Hidan in a spar. The zombie duo and the leader pair had been the only two groups to successfully capture jinchuuriki. Konan had somehow dragged in Han of Iwakagure first with little help from Pein, a testament to her skills and a huge wake up call to how dangerous the pierced bluenette could be. A few months later, Kakuzu and Hidan had returned with Fuu although it was apparent that Kakuzu had been the one to incapacitate her. Hidan had surely been active in the fight though and if Deidera could hold his own against him then perhaps he'd do okay against Gaara. Itachi could only hope so.

"Itachi, what are you doing spying on me, un?" Deidera spotted him and lost focus, leaving him open to a vicious kick in his side. Hidan looked exasperated at the blonde who'd finally fallen, sprawled before him.

"My apologise Deidera. If I knew how badly you were losing… "

"Shut up, un!"

"If you two fucks are gonna flirt I'm so out of here. Go continue your _workout_ with the fucking Uchiha, " Hidan grumbled as he glared at Itachi before stomping away, ignoring Deideras indignant protests. Not for the first time, Itachi felt bad. He'd never liked Hidan, but he could acknowledge he played a role in Ayaka's abandonment with his actions that day. If she really was a tool of Orochimaru he could only assume she'd been here to gather Intel on him. Not that he could know for certain, Leader had banned them from digging any further into the girl's origins. Six S class ninja shouldn't be so obsessed with a chuunin. Somehow, he found himself in agreement despite the fact that he did think that the girl was someone that even he might enjoy hunting.

"You have to ruin everything, yeah!" Deidera raised a brow at him, his eyes subtly darting around to make sure they had privacy. Zetsu was a sneaky thing and they didn't want to feed the Akatsuki any more gossip. No doubt, Kisame bored as he was would tease them mercilessly given another opportunity. Kami, if only the Mist knew thier former swordsman gossipped like his like depended on it.

"I'll make it up to you," Itachi found himself promising, inwardly cringing at the flash of satisfaction that glossed over Deidera's face. He didn't often stroke the blonde's ego in public but to be fair Deidera could die fighting a kage. Attachment was meant to be a deep and enduring emotional bond that connects one person to another across both time and space. Itachi realised that Deidera would chase him to deaths door itself if he didn't accidentally find himself while there facing Gaara. The notion made him guilty. It wasn't something he could ever reciprocate in this lifetime. The worst part was that Deidera knew it.

Itachi had his duties, to Sasuke and his village too. He was no longer the kind of man that could dare court a girl like Izumi. He had abandoned the luxury of being loved even though he'd loved so much and so selflessly.

Yet, Deidera was something separate to all of that. He was something more carnal, a craving he couldn't quite satisfy. Deidera was all kinds of love and hate with nothing in between. He was fierce battles and wary truces. Deidera was sin in his heart and heaven to his body. He was an illogical choice but, by Kami's will, an expected one. Deidera made him feel so alive that he almost wanted to beg for death at his hands. And Deidera promised a painful death, only to indulge him in the pleasure of making him feel so alive. Deidera, who was a fighter first and a lover second. Deidera who wore androgyny better than he himself did and was so passionate about his art. Deidera who kissed him like the world was ending and fucked him like they had merely an eternity together. Deidera who desired him with the way only someone that absolutely loathed him could. Deidera, the only person who could get him close to forgetting his goals. Deidera who caused him more anguish than he ever knew he possessed. Deidera who was a work of art himself. Deidera who was his promised executioner.

And, by kami's will, Itachi was raised to appreciate art in all its forms.

Yet, his responsibilities haunted him.

 _Sasuke._

He leaned into the blonde. _His blonde._

 _Deidera._

Deidera's visible eye fluttered shut.

 _Sasuke._

Itachi let their lips touch.

 _DEiderA. DEiderA. DEiderA!_

Deidera's hands were on his neck. Kami, would he snap it? Would he dare try? It gave him a thrill not to know, here outdoors and away from their designated truce. Yet still, he couldn't die. He would not die.

 _SASUKE!_

He shuddered as two mouths kissed his neck, while the third still occupied his own.

 _DEIDERA. DEIDERA. DEIDERA._

"Hmmm, I guess you will, un." Deidera pulled away, smirking as he motioned him to follow him back to _their_ room, _thier_ truce and _thier_ art.


	40. Bingo books and shadowed souls

**SAI**

He had been summoned by ANBU Hawk. Under normal circumstances, he would never question who the face beneath the mask was. However, after hanging around the Yamanaka heiress with the type of personality that vowed to question everything, he couldn't help but be curious.

Was he imagining it, or was Hawk favouring his left leg slightly? It reminded him a little of Fu. He'd injured the ginger haired shinobi on their last spar. However, that couldn't be. Hawk had been around for decades. Someone as young as Fu couldn't possibly be Hawk.

Who was Hawk anyway. Every time Sai saw him, she felt heavily confused. He was almost certain Hawk was male but his appearance changed ever so slightly every time he had met the ANBU agent. While it was probably Genjutsu, he couldn't help but feel suspicious that Hawk wasn't a person, just a mask that covered a series of faces.

Sai was just being illogical again. Sometimes he cursed himself for the faintest of emotions that hid in the depths of his soul. It was all because he didn't kill Shin. If he were capable of it, he would've frowned at his defectiveness at being an ideal Shinobi of Root. He'd been slowly reading books on emotions in an attempt to figure out what vague lingerings of feelings he possessed and eliminate them, but to no avail. If he had emotions, he didn't understand them. Emotions seemed to be based in all things illogical.

"10364," Hawk called him to attention, and he rose to his feet.

"10364 reporting for duty, Hawk sama."

"10364, from this point on you will refer to yourself as Sai once more. You will travel to Suna. Take two others. Eliminate the Nara heir. "

"Understood, Hawk sama."

Hawk nodded that he may leave, and he wasted no time in doing so. It was unusual that Root wanted the Nara heir dead. Weren't they fixated on former ANBU Spider? As far as he knew, Shikamaru Nara was currently heir. It was no matter, Shikamaru would be far easier a kill than Spider. Spider was rumored to have evaded and killed all Root agents on her trail. It was a feat that Sai had noted, but couldn't decipher how he felt about it. Perhaps he could ask the Yamanaka girl why such a feat stood out to him.

Sai would not fail, this time, in his mission. Even if the Nara heir meant something to his current artistic muse, Sai was efficient. He'd heard flowers were a adequate way to express one's condolences. Perhaps he'd send her some before his mission. When it came to work that must be done in the shadows, Sai thought, none could quite excel like the shinobi Root bred. Despite his incomplete initiation, he was 100% a soldier of Root that served Konoha for the greater good. Surely the flowers would make up for the inevitable death of his muses comrade.

* * *

 **KO**

The severe throbbing to his brain was absolutely unbearable as he writhed on the floor. In truth he'd never had expected the elder council to have gone so long without punishing him, but activating his seal? This was downright extreme even in the worst case scenario. He prayed to the heavens they wouldn't go to far. It wasn't often the council 'accidentally' tortured a branch member to death and passed the event off as a stroke. Most times it happened when Hiashi wasn't present. Unfortunately for Ko as he tasted bile, Hiashi wasn't there to intervene. Ko cursed his luck.

"An absolute disgrace to the Hyuuga name! An elite Jonin running D-ranks?" The first elder yelled at him. Ko, for the life of himself couldn't remember the elders name. Although Old Fart #1 was currently how his pain muddled brain registered him and Ko had no objections to the title.

"We should have dealt with you years ago when your father defiled that filthy Inuzuka heiress! Now, you bring the same dishonor to the clan!" Old Fart #2 spat at him and Ko shuddered. Kanato was not a man he considered a parent. How dare the council compare a paedophile to his drunken but consensual debauchery? It made him sick.

Hana, he thought bitterly, at least had her justice by killing that bastard. Here, Ko was stuck baring the weight of his father's sins despite the man's indiscretions towards himself. However, the council didn't care if they could salvage their image. Kanato's death was hidden along with Hana's act vengeance. Nobody cared for the little branch Hyuuga boy who knew too much. They needed a scapegoat, someone to punish and make an example of to other Hyuuga with wondering eyes and Ko had been given the less than favourable task of being a Jonin assigned as a mere retainer to Hinata Hyuuga. If Hinata wasn't such a pleasant soul, he really would've hated his life. Shizune's D-ranks were hardly as much of a blow as she thought they were. He had humoured the medic though, since Tsunade hadn't killed him. D-ranks kept him away from the Hyuuga grounds doing non-lethal work. It was almost like a vacation, each mission barely too him an hour.

The next flash of pain was so intense he couldn't help but yell out loud. It ravaged him, making his limbs tremble and his brain throb. He whimpered as Old Fart #2 dragged him to his feet. Completely unbalanced he hung there like a rag doll, wondering what more they could want from him. Suddenly,the pain halted, and Ko warily opened his eyes to glance at the room. Old Fart #2 still held him, while Old Fart #1 muttered to himself, it was clearly Old Fart #3 that had deactivated the torture. The old man watched him sneakily and Ko had a sinking feeling that his release had not come free.

"Now, now Ko-chan. No need to look so worried," Old Fart #3 smirked at him, "All will be forgiven if you display your loyalty to the Hyuuga and its customs." Old Fart #3 nodded to Old Fart #2 and Ko found himself suddenly released and falling to the ground on hard on his knees. He looked at the elder suspiciously. That was an ominous statement and it did not bode good things.

"How do I prove myself, elder sama?" He asked, kneeling shakily.

"A spider has let herself think she can poison our ranks. Crush her." Old Fart #3 ordered, smile on his face. Ko barely contained his gasp of surprise. An order to kill a high-ranking member of another Leaf clan? He could start a civil war. Kami knew clans were ostracized for far less. Assuming Ayaka didn't kill him herself, there was still Shikamaru, Yoshino, Kurenai, Shikaku, Ino, her Genin team, Genma with his brats and finally Neji. They'd be out for blood and blood certainly would fall. Pretty girls like Ayaka stood out in high society. ANBU and Jonin like her stood out in the shinobi world. Her death would be noticed and investigated.

Ko wasn't an idiot as well. Physical attributes aside, Ayaka Nara was a fucking artist with a blade and knew her way around a poison. Even if she was injured, the girl wouldn't be opposed to using some senseless kamikaze katon shit. He didn't even want to know what creepy Nara jutsu she knew. The little Nara princess had even trained under Hinata's sensei at a point and that woman was terrifying with her Genjutsu! She wasn't someone you subtly killed. If Ayaka fell, it would be in battle and it would be a brutal bloody fight until the end. Woman like her didn't just die. No wonder Neji had a permanent hard on whenever he saw his princess. It was fucking sexy, in a terrifying erotic kinda way.

You couldn't just murder someone so bright and expect it to stay within the shadows. He'd surely be caught and the Hyuuga would serve his head on a platter to appease those out for vengeance. They'd all accept that meagre offer lest they choose to start a civil war. His life would surely be forfeit if he complied.

"Hiashi would not approve-," He begun to argue but was cut off by a searing flash of pain that made him yelp. Shuddering he glared at the elder before him.

"The spider will die in the desert shadow or you shall find yourself truly testing the limits of pain," the elder stated calmly as if he was not just ordering an innocent, or as innocent as Ayaka could be, to die by Ko's unwilling hand.

"It will be done elder sama." Ko promised bitterly. He was officially screwed, and he knew it. They'd kill him and get some other poor soul to do it if he refused. Maybe even someone close to him. He couldn't allow that to happen. He cursed Neji, not out of hatred but because the prodigy was so lucky to have Hiashi's favour. None but Hiashi would dare use the seal against him. He cursed Hana, not because she'd killed that bastard but because she'd put him in the spotlight. None would condemn the heiress. He cursed Ayaka, not because she'd caused political havoc but because she was powerful and charismatic enough to do so. None could truly call her unsuited to be an heiress. Finally, he cursed himself because he was far to weak to be like any of them.

* * *

 **KAKUZU**

Kakuzu sipped some sake as he flicked through the latest bingo book from Takigakure. He'd picked it up one of those imbeciles that had been guarding Fuu. The green haired jinchuuriki had been a tough opponent, despite being a sickeningly sweet young woman. He couldn't recall the last time he'd lost two hearts so quickly. Thankfully, Hidan these days was not a colossal waste of space. He had occupied bug girl with surprising success until he could replace his damaged organs and rejoin the fray. She hadn't lasted long after her comrades' deaths. Hidan's display of his improvement in skills had been shocking but he supposed the zealot had been extra motivated for some time now. Ayaka had done a number on him.

Contrary to popular belief, he was not entirely upset by Hidan's pet's decision to flee. Honestly, it was practically a given. Attracting Hidan and pissing of Itachi Uchiha were the two easiest ways to sign one's own death warrant. He didn't even need to add the rest of the Akatsuki to the equation. So Kakuzu didn't mind his fellow bounty hunters decision to flee. At least someone on the base had boasted some fo of common sense.

Kakuzu favourite past time had always been to flick through bingo books which Ayaka had also enjoyed. When Hidan had decided to keep the stray Kunoichi, he'd automatically raked his brain to see if she had a bounty just in case. He had vaguely recalled a small snippet in Kiri's Bingo Book.

* * *

 **NAME/S: UNKNOWN**

 **RANK/S : Genin**

 **AFFILIATION: Village Unconfirmed**

 **DESCRIPTION: All female team. Sensei assumed dead.**

 **1\. Blonde female, wears glasses, no specialized traits, assumed 12 years old**

 **2\. Brunette female, assumed dog summons, assumed 14 years old**

 **3\. Brunette female, red eyes, carries a Katana, assumed 13 years old**

 **NOTE: Team sunk a Kiri ship, there were no survivors. Last seen by pursuit team on the border of Kumo. 2. Proved to be advanced with sword work and showed talent in Katon ninjutsu. 3. Is assumed to be a medic. Not much known of 1. But assumed to be the team's tactician.**

 **BOUNTY: 1000 Ryo for the entire team alive**

* * *

Needless to say, he couldn't prove it was her and Kiri's Bingo books were terrible anyway. The child in the sketch could be her but it wasn't close enough a resemblance to be certain. Red eyes and brown hair weren't that uncommon. Anyway, with such a low bounty for the entire team alive? It was an insult, even if Kiri was short of funds and they'd been mere Genin. No self-respecting bounty hunter would go looking for brats anyway. So, when Hidan brought her along he let her live if only because she was talented at bounty hunting herself. Aside from that she would keep the zealot from annoying him.

He found himself fond of her, even taking an interest in coaching her in strategy through subtle means. She was familiar with bingo books and it was enjoyable to share that passion. Still, she was a young woman and, old fashioned as he was, he didn't approve of the way Itachi and Hidan disrespected her in their advances. In the warring era he'd have them castrated for being so untoward to a kunoichi in his contractually bound care. She was clearly a clan child, raised as a lady and Hidan was a ruffian while Itachi was completely socially inept. He'd given them a thorough scolding of their behaviour which he knew Konan would approve off. He damned well knew both of them were trained Shinobi and knew how to treat a lady better, despite their idiotic actions. He'd offered Hidan advice in the end, not that he'd expected the love struck zealot to take it.

Yet, the Zealot had and Kakuzu had not expected the end result to be Ayaka so hideously defeating Hidan thoroughly in body, mind and soul. The scene he'd arrived to had been a grotesque work of art and a taunt towards their complacency. He was touched the girl cared enough to point it out so boldly. Bloody fucking hell, they were getting soft.

More than just Hidan wanted to hunt down their pet or take vengeance on Orochimaru, and after months of scouring for Intel on her, Leader put his foot down. He chastised their obsession and for wasting hard earned money searching for the girl. Konan sympathised but backed Pein as usual. Their mourning, or moping as Konan would put it, had delayed things significantly as not many, save himself were willing to take missions.

Still, he'd kept his eye on bingo books and was shocked to see that Otogakure, a dying shinobi village without Orochimaru's presence as Otokage had made an interesting entry a short while ago. It was widely assumed Orochimaru's loyalists were still considered affiliated with Oto, so the entry had struck him interesting.

* * *

 **NAME/S: UNKNOWN**

 **RANKS : Assumed ANBU/ B Rank Jonin**

 **AFFILIATION: Village Unconfirmed**

 **DESCRIPTION: Henge dropped revealed a red eyed brunette with shoulder length hair and of above average height. Carries an accessorised Katana. Complexion slightly tanned. Last seen wearing a Pink Kimono.**

 **NOTE: Infiltration and seduction skills displayed. Ambidextrous swordsmanship and Katon jutsu of high level. Mild auditory genjustu and custom explosive tags. Minor sensor abilities - assumed enhanced hearing. No evidence of a bloodline/ Kekki genkai displayed.**

 **Assumed to have killed all 6 pursuers in Land of Tea but was badly injured on last sight.**

 **BOUNTY: 90 000 Ryo alive, 60 000 Ryo dead**

* * *

Again, he couldn't exactly prove it was the young kunoichi he knew. He would be lying to himself however if the sketch wasn't awfully close to what he imagined the girl would look like though, even if the face shape didn't seem quite right. Still, he was wary to bring it up knowing the drama he could cause. The entry hadn't offered much to go on, and he didn't pursue shinobi bounties lower than 100 000 Ryo dead. He killed shinobi in their prime, when their bounties reflected that skill. The kunoichi's name and affiliation was unknown and if Oto didn't recognize her, she'd surely lied about being one of Orochimaru's underlings. So, he'd spared the sketch one last glance before closing the book.

Now flipping through Takigakure's bingo book, he'd come to a solid halt. His acid green eyes widened at the sight of an unmistakable face and body from the waist up. Bingo book sketches were normally a hit and miss but Ayaka might as well have posed for a portrait in this sketch.

The sketch showed chocolate brown hair trimmed just above the shoulders and warm red eyes. A heart shaped face with a perfect pout. Skin that was barely tanned. The woman in the sketch was depicted in a kimono of wine red. The black obi accentuated the girl's hourglass figure and to make things more obvious than they needed to be, the handle of a Katana, accessorised with something that looked suspiciously like Hidan's rosary was attached to the blade. Yet the thing that really had him shocked was the sheer quantity of data that Takigakure had on her.

* * *

 **NAME/S: AYAKA NARA (-18 years old)**

 **RANKS : Assumed Former ANBU/ A or B Rank Jonin**

 **Potential Heiress of The Nara Clan**

 **AFFILIATION: Temporarily Inactive Jonin of Konoha**

 **ASSOCIATES: High political ties in Konoha:**

 ***Shikaku Nara Of Konoha (A Rank Jonin) pg 90**

 ***Yoshino Nara of Konoha ( Retired B Rank Jonin ) pg 92**

 ***Kurenai Yuuhi Of Konoha (A Rank Jonin) pg 93**

 ***Hana Inuzuka Of Konoha (A/B Rank Jonin) pg 98**

 ***Neji Hyuuga Of Konoha (B/C Rank Jonin) pg 129**

 ***Shikamaru Nara Of Konoha (A/B Rank Chuunin) pg 130**

 ***Ino Yamanaka Of Konoha (B/C Rank Chuunin) pg 136**

 **Possible ties with several missing nin:**

 ***See Itachi Uchiha of Konoha (S Rank Jonin) pg 125**

 ***Hidan of Yugakagure (S Rank Jonin) pg 201**

 ***Sasori of Sunakagure (S Rank Jonin) pg 252**

 ***Deidera of Iwakagure (S Rank Jonin) pg 295**

 ***Kisame Hoshigaki of Kirikagure (S Rank Jonin) pg 310**

 ***Kakuzu of Kirikagure (S Rank Jonin) pg 353**

 **DESCRIPTION: Red eyed brunette, Shoulder length hair and of above average height. Carries an accessorised Katana. Complexion slightly tanned. Favours wearing a kimono. Described as extremely aesthetically pleasing. Might have bandaged arms.**

 **SKILLS: Infiltration and seduction skills are not to be underestimated. Ambidextrous swordsmanship that rival's mastery of a unique style. Known to be highly proficient in Katon jutsu and taijutsu. No second nature known at present. Mild auditory genjustu and custom explosive tags. Minor knowledge and use of poisons. Enhanced hearing. Known to carry concealed weapons on person. Assumed to have mastered Nara clan jutsu but does not favour it. Unknown how current injuries may affect skill set. Well versed in royal, shinobi and civilian politics.**

 **Kunoichi is highly proficient at close range techniques. Do not engage without support.**

 **KILLS: Assumed 200 in assists/individual take downs.**

 **OTHER:**

 **Only Child of Aranai Yuuhi/Nara and Shikato Nara (Both deceased)**

 **Assumed former hunter nin**

 **Assumed all rank promotions were in field**

 **Assumed to be a sympathiser/follower of the Way of Jashin**

 **Suspected to have defeated Yugito Ni* in battle and killed the remainder of Kumokagure 'Team Ryota'**

 **Suspected to have impersonated a Kumokagure missing nin**

 **Legal ward of Shikaku and Yoshino Nara, cousin to Shikamaru Nara***

 **Provided apprenticeship to Ino Yamanaka***

 **Genin teammate of Hana Inuzuka***

 **Engaged to Neji Hyuuga***

 **Displays large amounts of Political finesse in the Leaf and may overthrow current heir.**

 **Suspected to have survived encounters with several missing ninja.**

 **BOUNTY: 180 000 Ryo dead**

* * *

Kakuzu wasn't an idiot. An entry like that was suspicious considering how difficult it was for Sasori to track the kunoichi down. There was no reason to assume Takigakure would have this information. A Leaf had to have leaked this information. He wondered if Ayaka knew someone in the village wanted her dead and didn't care who did it.

Including all their names, his name, was practically an invite for the Akatsuki to kill her. Yet, Takigakure was a small nation and none of the others would bother reading through its bingo books. Someone was baiting him specifically. The thought left him ill.

Kakuzu snarled as he snapped the book shut in fury. He wasn't one to be baited into fighting someone else's battle. His lack of interest had absolutely nothing to do with the slight pride at the girl having that 180 000 Ryo bounty. He almost wished he could tell Hidan but his partner wouldn't react well to such information. Besides, Leader had forbidden seeking out the girl.

Kakuzu went after shinobi in their prime. Ayaka wasn't quite there yet. He'd have her head when he wanted it, and not when some fucking Leaf gave it to him. He made a note to find out who the snitch was, if only to satisfy his own curiosity.

 **[A/N: And this marks the chapter special! Thanks for the reviews. They are love!]**


	41. A house of cards

**[A/N: Wow so the number of reviews this fic has went up drastically! I've been working on the Suna arc of the story but please do leave a review of any potential things you might want me to include. The next updates might be in late Jan or Feb. ]**

 **AYAKA**

"So, the Hyuuga prodigy huh? Damn kid, didn't realise you liked them so…anal?" Genma chuckled. The little bar that had hosted Shiho's and Kiba's engagement party had only grown in popularity amongst the shinobi folks. Thus, Ayaka found herself seated opposite the infamous former womanizer, Genma Shiranui spending her coin on sake.

"You know Genma, if you ever let me know who it is that you're seeing, I could do this whole playful banter thing better."

"Ah… well, let's just say my lady likes her privacy."

Genma with his brown, shoulder-length hair hanging about his face and brown eyes could easily snag any woman. He wore his forehead protector like a bandanna, and the standard jonin outfit and always has his trademark senbon in his mouth and just exuded the resident bad boy appeal. Ayaka couldn't believe he'd been a husband candidate for her. Not that she didn't appreciate the chiseled-to-perfection body but his image didn't exactly scream husband candidate. It was amazing what kind of influence being a Jonin had on life.

"I can respect that. Well Neji's also got his quirks. He's a sucker for the rules, fate and whatnot. Plus, he's a Hyuuga. Being anal is basically a clan trait at this point."

"People say he's dangerous, Ayaka chan."

"People say that about me too," she responded, bored. Neji? Dangerous? She'd courted danger before, Neji was far from it. Neji had only ever tried to save her. She knew Genma couldn't possibly know of Hidan but if he did Genma would surely favor Neji.

"When captured birds grow wiser, they try to open the cage with their beaks. They don't give up, because they want to fly again." Genma's voice while playful held an uncharacteristic edge to it that had her raising a brow questioningly.

"You're calling me a cage? I'm hardly forcing him into anything." And she really wasn't. The Hyuuga had made the request for an omiai, which Ayaka imagined wouldn't even be necessary at this point. Ultimately, the ball had been in Neji's court first and she was sure the lilac eyed Jonin knew it.

"I've said these words to him as well, you'd be wise to heed them kid. A woman like you? The boy never had a chance of freedom," Genma swirled his sake glass, and Ayaka could help but think back on sake fuelled discussions with someone of a slightly bluer hue.

"I'll keep that in mind. Anyway, there is something I need to ask of you. A favour, if you will."

While Kisame Hoshigaki had been an infamous legend of the way of the sword, Genma was a lesser known traditionalist of a weapons expert. He didn't have as large an arsenal as Tenten did, but it didn't really matter when you could weaponize something as trivial as a toothpick on a whim. Genma often said the smartest kept themselves out of bingo books. Ayaka had done her best to live by that but there were those out there looking for her and if they found her, it would be her own life forfeit. If she didn't know who exactly was out to get her, she would select the best elite guard team she could.

"Hmmm…and whats that Ayaka chan?"

There were few shinobi that exuded confidence like Genma Shiranui did. Jashin only knew Ayaka tried but some how she felt her confidence, while poised, lacked that effortlessness that Genma exuded . Calm, impartial, collected, proud and casual these were just a few of the words that Ayaka could use to describe the man that had thought herself, Kotetsu and Izumo the art of weaponry. Although on a technicality Ayaka had been a Jonin longer than him she was wise enough to realise that Genma hadn't climbed ranks due to the lack of desire to engage with the politics that came with being a fully fledged Jonin from a civilian clan. The fact that someone as versatile with traditional weapons as Genma was would choose a senbon as his primary killing weapon was enough fact to make most weary. Senbon did require a 99% accuracy in order to be used as a killing tool after all.

She'd managed to snag the older Jonin when Neji had dared to try and leave her with Gai again for the day. It wasn't that she disliked the spandex wearing shinobi but there was only so much she could take before she stabbed something. Genma had been sympathetic enough to rescue her from his former teammate and now they were in a tavern, halfway done with a sake bottle.

Ayaka truly admired Genma. He'd taken Kotetsu and Izumo in when she'd been a baby and they just new academy students. A new Tokubetsu Jonin, he'd been expected to jump into the ANBU ranks as an assassin after Minato's death, instead in order to care for his young charges he opted to remain an elite bodyguard. Ayaka was aware that Genma may have known her late mother through his position, but a discussion on her parents was the last thing on Ayaka's mind at the moment.

"I need you, Izumo and Ko to accompany Shikamaru and I to Suna," she explained, knowing Genma would've received the mission details by now.

"I heard as much kid but the three of you haven't properly interacted with each other in some time. Seriously, I know it ain't my place to say nothing, but you just disappeared into ANBU without a word to them. They talk a tough talk Ayaka, but I know they expected you to join their cell when you got that rank." Genma swirled his sake, looking serious. Ayaka didn't want to have this conversation. However, she didn't seem to have much of a choice left now.

"Izumo has no business to judge my distance. Tell me something Genma, did him and Ko not think about my feelings at all? Sure, Izumo was the one that acted on it, but we damn well know Ko was the one that had to have thought of it," she let the exasperation she'd been hiding for years leak through.

"You damn well know that they did kid. Kotetsu has always been outspoken but it was really not his place to speak with you or so he felt. Izumo messed up and he knows it." Genma sounded sad as he chewed on his senbon, deep in thought.

"Pretending to have affections for me to try and pry a recommendation for Jonin from my clan? All while being involved with Ko? Hell, neither of them were even ready then." Irritation cut into her voice.

"I've said this before, the boys are stupid Ayaka. They should never have tried to manipulate you. You know they were banned from any exam promotions for at least 4 years maybe more after that stunt. Shikaku wasn't impressed with you having your first heartbreak," Genma's words made her wince. The pair of bukijutsu specialists were obviously too talented to be only Tokubetsu but neither had complained in the aftermath of all that had occurred. Instead Izumo guarded the village with pride and Ko honed his social skills. Shikaku, the Jonin commander had been harsh. Perhaps too harsh.

"Yeah so I'm responsible for stagnating the careers of two talented shinobi and limiting them to Tokubetsu, " Ayaka sighed to which Genma responded with a coy smile. She paused at that look. The senbon wielder smiling wasn't unusual but in the context of this conversation it felt a bit odd.

"We could make a deal. Recommend them for the jonin exams. Then I'll make sure we accompany you," Genma stated, arms folded and Ayaka knew she was going to comply. Not because of the mission but because on paper, the pair really did deserve the recommendations. Still it didn't imply she couldn't negotiate at all.

"I'll sign as the second reference and Shikaku won't dare reject it right now, but I need you to do something in return," Ayaka began slowly, folding her arms to match her former shisou, "I need to nominate the Ino-Shika-Cho formation."

Genma whistled at at her gall. Politically it was a wise move. Having all the heirs or even spares elevated in status in the village gave them more political power, and their respective clan elders less say. If she wanted to be an heir then Ino's, Shikamaru's and Chouji's voices mattered, especially if they moved up in rank. Their political decisions carried weight and the young Jonin would be easily swayed by a Jonin as young and charismatic as her. Few of the Konoha heirs actually liked any of the councils or their decisions. It was a problem for their respective councils that could usually be nipped in the bud if they'd graduated in succession but if a large number of heirs or spares graduated together? The collective weight of their voices backing each other would send ripples through Leaf politics unseen of since the Uchiha massacre. In a shinobi village a power play with politics was a dangerous game. One she, on paper, had no business playing. Genma, for all his experience surely could see clearly what she was trying to achieve. Judging by the twinkle in his eye he approved. Civilain clan born and elite guard to a Kage, Genma hated just about all the councils he'd ever come across.

"It would be unfounded if I recommended the Yamanaka brat or your cousin. Could do Chouji, but you know Ayaka," Genma's spat his senbon, allowing it to impale the wooden wall behind her, his eyes flashing dangerously, "Chouji isn't ready yet. Neither is he a viable pawn. "

Ayaka didn't flinch. It wasn't essential that the soft hearted Chouji made it up the ranks, but his participation could only motivate Ino and Shikamaru. Ino and Shika were far more volatile pieces to throw in the political scene. She'd already secured Ino's place in the exams between herself and Tsunade's recommendations. Asuma and Kurenai had been sceptical about referring her cousin but had agreed in the end. She knew Asuma would definitely sign Chouji up if he got a secondary referral, it was just the way the formation worked. They were too set in accomplishing tasks together. It made them predictable and easy to use. Like a house of cards, once one team fell, they all would.

Kurenai wouldn't ever let her own students fall behind to Asuma's. It was just the kinda woman she was, so Hinata, Kiba and Shino were probably going to be recommended as well. Gai would easily jump on the band wagon with the spirit of youth when he heard. Despite his remaining students not having the potential political sway to cause as much chaos as the Rookie 9 did, Tenten and Rock Lee were still fairly influential in their own ways. Tenten had been adopted into a clan of prominent weapon smith's and the Lee clan, while small, did have a council vote. Rock Lee wasn't an heir but she was willing to bet his voice wasn't something easy to drown out. That just left the Hokage's apprentice and Kakashi's student Sakura Haruno. While Kakashi's other students were not viable candidates and on paper useless, Sakura Haruno was the apprentice of the Hokage and a representative of a prominent shinobi merchant clan. Ayaka wondered if the Hokage and Kakashi would dare to nominate her, in the wake of her peers referrals. She was willing to bet, if only to not have their egos bruised they would. If not, she was sure Sakura could strong arm them.

"Those are my terms," she sipped on her sake taking care not to spill any on the mint green Kimono she'd stolen from Hana. She hadn't exactly had a chance to speak with the brunette yet. However, Inuzuka's didn't really sit around talking about feelings. They'd talk, through a no holds barred battle when she returned. Shiho would surely participate as well, the blonde always got a kick out of snagging them in her traps. It had been way too long.

She glared Genma down, daring him to deny her. He glared back, daring her to walk away. She extended a bandaged hand, offering it to senbon chewer.

"Dangerous terms Ayaka chan, but you have a deal," his gloved hand met hers and Ayaka already knew, nothing in Suna could be able to take her down. Not with the team she was going to have.


	42. White lilies and orange Kimono's

**INO**

"He proposed! Look its so pretty!" Ayaka gushed at her, showing her a dainty ring looking rather odd on her bandaged hands. Ino couldn't help but find her senpai's enthusiasm endearing. Ino had to admit, the ring was rather pretty if only a tad to simple for her taste. It was clearly an heirloom to her trainer eye and she couldn't help but wonder if her senpai knew it was. Unlikely, Ayaka wasn't one to appreciate jewelry.

To think Neji, of all of them, would actually propose and Ayaka would be excited over it! She didn't consider Kiba's accidental engagement to count although Shiho had been sporting rather curious bruises on her neck this morning. Paired with Shikamaru's sudden desire to seriously pursuit the Sand princess, it's seemed like the Konoha 12 were finally growing up. If only Sakura would give up on the Uchiha traitor all would be well in the world.

"Congratulations, senpai. I'm happy for you, " Ino nodded at the girl, sporting a Kimono in the most mortifying shade of neon orange she'd seen a long time. Kami, had Naruto set this trend upon his return? Ino shivered at the idea. Really, she ought to kick Ayaka out of the shop for that ensemble and would have, if Neji hadn't been sent of on a mission with team Gai. Ino had owed Neji one after all, he was letting her choose the wedding venue. An arrangement Yoshino had visibly objected to.

It couldn't be helped. Ayaka hadn't set foot on the Nara compound in days. Neither had Shikamaru, a fact that hadn't gone unnoticed by any clan in Konoha. If gossip were to be believed the pair were finally working together to achieve a common end. It wasn't often clan heirs rebelled successfully, but if anyone could pull it off it was those two. Street smarts and natural born genius. She wouldn't want to be the one picking a quarrel with either Nara. Not for the first time, Ino truly pitied Shikaku. Through his micromanaging of everything he'd created a problem unseen of ever in the Ino-Shika-Cho history.

"Your dad doing good?" Ayaka asked casually, to which Ino could only sigh in response.

"Dad will be alright. I just wish they'd let me do more in your investigation. Or do more in general." Inoichi was indeed doing better and Ino was thankful for that. Had her father been ill any longer, there would be little to prevent the clan from investigating his absence. Considering Ino knew that there was a rogue Yamanaka somewhere, she couldn't help but want to keep the clan out of the loop as much as possible. Still, she was butting heads with her Kage here and it was obvious she wouldn't win. She was just a chuunin at the end of the day. Tsunade hadn't even included her on the investigation of her patient either. It was so frustrating.

"Well, I think you'll find an opportunity," Ayaka smiled at her and Ino rolled her eyes going through the floral bouquets her cousin had earlier requested to be made for delivery. There were 5 in total, ranging from grand orchid arrangements to a simple, single white lily in a vase.

She frowned at that. Lilies were usually sent as condolences in the shinobi world. She felt Ayaka's gaze linger exactly where hers did. The brunette frowned, her red eyes concerned.

"Haven't heard of anyone passing away recently its probably not anything serious," Ayaka's reassurance was enough to remind her of her company and Ino quickly recovered her emotions, reaching for the vase.

"Yeah totally, let me just move-," Ino paused before gasping, causing Ayaka to glance at her curiously.

 _Ino Yamanaka_

The card held no message, just her name. It was addressed to the hospital and there was no sender listed. Ayaka peered curiously over her shoulder and let out a small chuckle.

"Seems someone thinks you're pure. Next time don't be so morbid Ino, your admirer clearly is a novice in flower language," Ayaka's laugh helped her relax.

Lilies could also mean devotion and purity. Ayaka was right, she was being far too morbid. This week had really left her frazzled. She was Ino Yamanaka! Of course someone was merely sending her flowers. Nobody she knew had died. She was definitely overthinking things. Still, nobody had ever sent her flowers since before the chuunin exams. That had been Shikamaru. The only guy to ever make her ensemble a bouquet of her choosing. It had been a strange feeling.

Her short romance with her teammate was a fond memory. Sometimes she regretted ending things between them. Yet, Ino knew love. One look at Temari and Shikamaru interact and she knew in her heart and soul she had no place at his side. She'd ended things, without any explanations and Shikamaru true to his nature of avoiding trouble, hadn't argued.

If he had, she might still be with him. However, it was not a move he'd make. At least, not for her. Now she watched him, the boy she adored ready to fight a Kage, his brother and his own clan to be with a foreign princess she couldn't help but feel proud. Sad, definitely but proud nonetheless.

Ino couldn't help but wonder if someone would do that for her. She was attractive. She could have any man. Yet, how many men lusted only after her body? Did any desire her for something more?

Could she with all her personality flaws keep a man's interest? Or was she fated, much like her mother had been to settle for a shinobi her clan had chosen. A shinobi that would fuck a Yamanaka heir in her and serve as a mere means to an end. A shinobi that didn't desire for anything other than her clan name and the fact that she had one hot body?

She'd often thought Ayaka might have had similar problems. However, the older girl had hit gold with Neji. One could say what they wanted about Ayaka Nara but it was easy to see Neji was quickly beginning to adore his future bride. The fact that he never let her be unguarded these days by people whom he trusted was awfully sweet and significant.

Ino was insanely jealous of Ayaka. Not because she wanted Neji, but because she couldn't imagine receiving that level of adoration and respect.

No doubt her admirer was just someone appreciating her body. Not someone who could desire her heart and soul. Not someone whom her own heart and soul could desire.

Ayaka had recieved it twice now. It was easy to see in Ayaka's memory how taken she had once been with Hidan and he with her. She was farely certain the Kunoichi still carried a torch for the Jashinist whom she wanted dead. Ino wondered, for as much as Ayaka simply seemed so perfect with Neji, if she would have still chosen him. If given the chance to stay with her priest lover on the run or live a good life in the Leaf with Neji by her side, what she may have decided.

Ayaka liked Neji a lot. She was falling for him. However, she loved the zealot. So much she would be willing to kill him. Ino didn't have the right to ponder these things. Ayaka's life wasn't something she should dare dissect, especially information privy to her after such a gross violation of her rights.

Ino would do best to keep her emotions, jealousy included, in check. So when Ayaka interrupted her train of thought waving a scroll in her face, grinning ridiculously in that Kimono Ino swore she was going to burn, she almost hit her senpai on reflex.

Ayaka, even injured, was too quick. Tossing her the scroll which Ino caught on instinct. Ino eyed her curiously, before dropping her gaze to the scroll. Unraveling it, she couldn't help the gasp she released. Flailing her arms while leaping at her senpai to reward her with the tightest hug, not noticing she'd knocked over a vase.

* * *

 **NEJI**

His morning had gone surprisingly well. Originally he'd been nervous about presenting a girl like Ayaka with his mother's ring in a shrine he'd fashioned for her, just out of the barest of research into Jashinism. At first he worried it wound not meet her standards, however, his wife to be had been thrilled. He'd been ill prepared to see tears in her blood red eyes as she embraced him as if he'd given her the whole damned world on a platter. He'd only cringed a little at her Kimono, an engagement gift from none other than Naruto.

Still, it gave him all the more reason to rip it from her perfect body. Under normal circumstances he would've been ashamed to completely loose control like that in a shrine of all places. Especially considering Ayaka was recovering both mentally and physically from the events of the past week.

However he was assigned another mission in Tea and Ayaka was due to head to Suna soon. He couldn't quite resist the alure of her flesh especially when she dared to show him such affection. Her body pressed up against him, he roughly pulled the kimono open exposing her body to his whims.

She wasn't to use her Chakra at all yet and he almost felt bad for using his to make her submit to him. Normally, Ayaka took control with their endeavors. Considering her Forte it made sense and he didn't dare bite the hand that fed him. His little seductress knew exactly what she was doing where his pleasure was concerned.

This time he wasn't going to relinquish any control. He'd show her exactly how much she'd worried him, driven him insane, with his body alone.

And had worked. Her moans were a delightful mixture of his name and a variety of curses which he, as a Hyuuga, wouldn't dare repeat. He'd pushed her to her knees and slammed into her roughly, relishing in how she'd tightened around him. He loved it more when she'd begged him to go faster, harder all while arching her back in a view that would surely be branded forever in his memory.

He'd finished in her without thought when she all but screamed obscenity's in Jashins name, her walls clamping around him all too suddenly. He'd held her as her body shook, coming down from her high. She whimpered as he slipped out from her and he found himself cringing as he took her in his arms.

Content as his princess was, stripped bare and in his arms, he'd obviously been rough with her. Her knees were red and rough and he knew her hips would bruise in the

shape of his palms. Her lips were swollen and her hair a mess from his brutal pulling. Still she hummed happily in his lap, as if he hadn't just spilled himself within her without asking her premission.

Thank kami ANBU and most Kunoichi took contraceptives, in exception for when they were looking to conceive. If he were to get her pregnant so early into thier courtship he was certain Yoshino would castrate him.

" _Hime,_ I don't know what came over me. I'm so sorry, I should never have been so rough with you, " Neji fretted. If Ayaka went to her clan or his own with his actions he was a dead man. He didn't think she had been unwilling but he sure as hell knew she'd be sore a few days.

"No worries _Hyuuga Sama._ I quite enjoyed that," she laughed lightly, leaning into his embrace as if he hadn't had her on her knees for a good half hour. Her back to his chest, Neji couldn't resist the urge to slip his hand hands around her waist, holding her to him.

"Ah. Well, we can do that anytime, _Hime,_ but I didn't think you liked letting others have control," he murmured as his hands wandered her body, pleased to find by her subtle reactions that she was still quite sensitive.

" _Hyuuga sama_ , you can do that and more to me anytime," Ayaka responded while she blatantly guided his wandering hand to her core and another to her chest. He played idly, enjoying her mewls and gasps. In his lap he had very little doubt she didn't know he was flush between her cheeks.

" _Hime,_ we don't have time," he warned as she bucked her hips dangerously into his hand, a whimper escaping her lips and a groan from his as she ground into him. He really didn't have much time. Maybe just over an hour to get a shower, deliver her to someone to guard and then head to meet his team. True, he could be late but Tenten, Gai and Lee would certainly assume why and be right. That would be too uncomfortable a conversation, to say the least.

"Please, Neji," She dragged the moan out of his name, his real name, as her eyes closed. Instantly he resigned himself with a sigh, knowing he couldn't ignore her when she was like this. Flipping her around so that she straddled him, he lowered her onto him, relishing in the way she bit her lip and swallowed her moan. She was going to make him so late. Yet he didn't find himself minding.

"Please yourself, _Hime,"_ he found himself half begging as she obliged.

Which was how he had found himself total, about 40 minutes late, having being further delayed in the shower and again after as he and his bride to be got into a row about her outfit choice.

After dropping Ayaka off hastily at Ino's he could only pray the girl got rid of the ghastly Kimono his bride to be seemed taken with. He owed a great deal to Naruto, true. Yet, even he had to draw the line somewhere.

If anyone was going to be his ally in ridding the world of that dispicable kimono it would be Ino.

* * *


	43. A jack of all trades

**TSUNADE**

While most would think Tsunade was in utter turmoil about her daughter, it was far from the case. Her little conversation/spar with Tsume, had left her confident in her daughter's safety. It was odd to think the Inuzuka matriarch viewed Shiho as one of her 'pups' and had been practically feral at any hint of abuse to her at the Inuzuka compound. No doubt the topic of abuse was a sensitive one for Hana's mother. Fiesty thing, Tsume Inuzuka was. Tsunade wouldn't challenge her authority again. Tsume was a brawler, much like her. Politics went out the window when they clashed.

Yet it was more than mere politics. Tsume Inuzuka was a lot of things, much like Tsunade her self was. However, when one compared them, one had to note one critical fact. Tsume was a mother in every sense of the world. Something Tsunade had never willingly engaged herself in becoming. She viewed Hana's team as her own kin. Shiho, Kiba's Fiancee, was included in that. Shiho was more Tsume's than Tsunade's. It was an unusual notion to say the least.

For her kids, Tsume would willingly do her best to send Tsunade all the way to hell. Kami, the Inuzuka matriarch knew it wouldn't be a match she could win, but it meant nothing in the end. Peasant or Kage, all who dared to threaten Tsume's cubs would face her wrath.

Tsunade had to hand it to Kanato Hyuuga. What ever Hana and the triplets had done to him, would be nothing in comparison to what Tsume would have done in the end. She could only muse heavy politics were in play back in the day for Sarutobi to even risk her ire.

Would she ever know what her sensei had been up to? Kanato Hyuuga was already a known problem to the Hyuuga with alleged vile indescretions landing him Ko, an illegitimate child. Based on Ko's former sensei's reports the boy was certainly abused in some form at home however this was not an unusual circumstance in the Hyuuga household.

With such questionable suspicions how had Kanato, despite being a talented medic, land his team? The format wasn't normal. Hana was a great candidate for apprenticeship as a medic but it was unusual for the heiress to opt for that route without outside influence. As an Inuzuka, she was a strategically strong offensive fighter, especially when one considered the triplets. To pair her with Ayaka, a rather strong frontliner too, was unusual. Traditionally, Nara's were great for support. Yet, almost all of Ayaka's talents save her charisma made her a solid offense too. To group the pair of them, with a saboteur who'd best require subtlety to shine? Shiho was the teams strategist, arguably but that didn't quite strike true. Both Ayaka and Hana were fair candidates in terms of having a flair for strategy, so Shiho's intelligence was redundant. It was almost as if Shiho was placed there not to be noticed or build up the necessary skill set to succeed as an active shinobi.

Kanato's indescretions were be hushed up by the Hyuuga and the Inuzuka once Hana's vengeance was served. She imagined the gag order went both ways. Ayaka was quickly absorbed into ANBU's seduction and had been one of the most talked about Nara, ever. Shiho had simply vanished into cryptology without thought and pursued every Kage's true nemesis - paperwork.

Still, she hadnt expected to find Shiho's injuries were a result of her letting of some steam with the Inuzuka heiress. Seemed the girl took after her in that regard or perhaps that was all Tsume's influence again. Orochimaru would probably just disect someone alive instead and Ayaka she mused, would probably just kill them.

Shiho was easily becoming a problem that she could push away and while both Ayaka and Shikamaru were due to be enroute to Suna soon, it was time to start tieing up some loose ends.

Fortunately for her, Ino's little problem and Tsunade's big problem overlapped surprisingly well. Tsunade would be damned if she didn't kill two, no four, or maybe more birds with a single stone.

"You're absolutely certain the ANBU that Ino Yamanaka's taken interest in is Root?"

It wasn't often she called upon Root's only known defector to clarify details about a chuunin level ANBU of no real significance, aside from the fact that the boy was certainly one of Danzo's. For the most part, Root members were easy to spot, with their clinical attitude and sheer avoidance of the Konoha hospital and opting to use 'accredited private healers'. However Ino's interest, from what she gathered from the blonde's tirades had broken such protocols of late. That, she found, was quite an interesting feat. A feat that reminded her of a boy once called Kinoe.

The only other person to known have accomplished that and live, was Kakashi's very own kouhai. If this 'Sai' character was in Root and emotionally compromised, Tsunade knew she could pull one over on the aging Warhawk. All she had to do was lure his pet to her side.

Who better to help do that other than ANBU Cat, their resident Makuton user?

"Yes, Hokage-sama, I believe this 'Sai' is Root," the currently dubbedTenzou was expressionless as he replied, but Tsunade could practically sense the desire the Mokuton wielder had to save the boy. It was endearing how much Tenzou cared, considering what emotion killing propoganda Tsunade could only assume he'd been exposed to in youth.

With his short brown hair and black, almond-shaped eyes, Tenzou would have the boy next door kind of look if he didn't occasionally drop a frightening but still expressionless facial expression.Wearing the ANBU standard, a black, sleeveless jumper under a grey flack jacket with strapped-up shinobi sandals, arm-length gloves with guards over them. He carried his sword strapped to his back, and his a mask, a cat's face, rested in his hands as he stood before her. The tattoo on his left shoulder was proudly on display. All in all, he had always looked like the perfect ANBU agent. Then again, so had Ayaka, and Tsunade was pretty certain the girl had crossed Danzo somehow.

Tenzou was certainly considered both a formidable and valuable ANBU agent, but

he knew Danzo and what it meant to break from his influence. If Tsunade was going to secretly wage a war against the Warhawk she'd best have 'Cat' retire to a standard Konoha-Jonin, with complete with a brand new Flack Jacket. If she could only get Ino's new little pet too, Danzo wouldn't know what hit him. Nor would the fools that aided him in his misdeeds.

The Warhawks and his allies would fall. Tsunade herself would see that through.

"Pull this 'Sai' from ANBU. Break him in. He's ours for the taking and that old man doesn't even have a clue." Tsunade smirked at the thought.

"It will be done, Hokage-Sama. "

"Oh, and Tenzou? Your name's Yamato now. Try not to scare the kid too much."

* * *

 **SHIKAKU**

He had spent the entire past few days poring over documents about his niece. He'd read it all. Everything about the Akatsuki sure, but not just that. He'd skimmed through her mission reports. He'd skimmed through her team's, her captians, and even her trash sensei's. He'd looked through her academy files too.

He couldn't believe he'd never seen it. It was so damned obvious, the only reason nobody else had pointed it out was because the girl was a Nara and frankly, almost none had a complete knowledge of her varied skill sets. He'd heard the phrase throughout his lifetime but he'd never quite seen it personified quite so well. Not even Ayaka's father, a man who was also an ambitious troublemaker hadn't resonated with the term quite so well.

'Always Fear the motivated Nara.'

He'd trained her in politics himself so perhaps he was to blame but it had been to make sure she wouldn't end up being married to some man 30 years her senior. Despite his reasons and much unlike his son, she had thrived in poitics. He couldn't help but think she had the Nara elder council wrapped around her finger in a way that nobody else ever could. If anyone else had even tried get away half her gall they'd have been excommunicated in a heartbeat based on the Nara's secretary's notes. It wasnt often Shikaku attended his clan's council meetings so he had never truly witnessed Ayaka at work. Years ago, when promoted to commander, the clan had allowed him to appoint Yoshino as proxy and he had taken them up on that happily. He'd always assumed Shikamaru and the elders would have to grudgingly deal with each other until Shikamaru learnt from experience how to sway things. Ayaka's charisma and influence seemed to be without equal but not concerning. A fact he'd been all too ignorant to pay any real attention to.

Shikamaru and Ayaka had tested their IQ as kids. He'd not been surprised to know that Shikamaru was an unmeasurable genius, with a score beyond 200. He'd nodded at the news and had been told Ayaka had scored a bit lower, but done well. He'd never actually made the effort to see the exact scores. A high IQ, while advantageous meant little on the battle field without training. He'd never known how damn close the girls score had been to his genius son's. She wasn't one qiute unmeasurable, but she was borderline. Coming in with a score of 196 vs Shikamaru's 200, Ayaka was also a genuis on paper. He'd often called her street smart, but perhaps there was a bit more to it then he'd initially guessed. Still, with his own IQ equal to hers, he couldn't help but admit he'd dropped the ball in terms of keeping her intellectually challenged. Shikamaru was an easier kid to handle. He liked puzzles and lazing around. Ayaka had always been inquisitive and curious. Constantly putting him on edge as he tried to find her distractions for her. Like any shinobi parent, he had turned to the seemingly harmless idea on getting her started on some basic training.

When she was a child she'd taken up swordsmanship as a hobby. He'd taken her to see Genma training his brats and he'd been too sentimental about Aranai to deny her the rights to learning the art. He'd never stuck around to watch though and assumed she'd loose interest being a ninjutsu type. He was so busy, he'd never known she'd mastered it, in the truest sense of mastery. According to all the evidence that he'd seen, she was easily the most promising ambidextrous swordswoman the Leaf had seen in decades, even inventing an entirely new style. Genma's brats and her had unfortunately had a falling out, which he'd not reacted to kindly to. The senbon user had avoided him afterwards, outside of a professional capacity.

The girl had always had high Chakra reserves but poor control so he'd not stopped Yoshino from taking her on as a student even though she'd broken her arm. Yoshino had opted to let it heal naturally but trained her anyway. As such, his niece had become quite fond of basic one handed seals. It was a difficult thing to do for any shinobi yet, Ayaka had apparently taken to it with ease. According to her reports, if pressed she could even use A-rank jutsu to variable efficiency if she had adequate preparation time. It was a dangerous technique though and he was relieved to see his niece had reported back to her superiors that high level Katon was not feasible for single hand seals. If ever, he'd questioned her sanity, he would rightfully take it back now. It was good to see her show the restraint his brother lacked.

In order to let the girl bond with Kurenai, he'd encouraged her to learn Genjutsu. Ayaka had hated it, but according to Kurenai, she had real talent. Not many could boast to be able to give someone lasting physical damage just from auditory jutsu. She'd ultimately dropped Genjutsu practice but not before learning some pretty nasty stuff. Considering he'd been proctor for Kurenai's jonin exam, he knew first hand how deadly Genjutsu could be in battle.

Not many Genin outside of war had a high kill count. Fortunately, not many Genin had Kanato Hyuuga as a sensei. He, for all his lack of an adequate training plan and his short time with them, had broken in his Genin team on the art of killing. A medic himself, Kanato had apparently been quite thorough in alerting his niece in how to make sure a person couldn't be healed in time. Having never seen her kill, he had no idea she had developed a flair for decapitation as a Genin. It was disturbing, to say the least, how many headless corpses she left in her wake. Kanato had even prompted his girl to show some interest in Taijutsu. Being a Hyuuga and she a Nara, he'd apparently strategized Taijutsu styles with her over games of chess. Shikaku did not want to think about the fact that his young ward had spent any significant time with that bastard. It sickened him to no end. Whatever sick plans Kanato had, Hana had put them to an end. For that, he was eternally grateful.

He thought he'd made the best decision when she had been a hunter nin to request she be considered for seduction. He didn't like the branch much but his brother had thrived there. He hadnt known how she had thrived in the hunt, else he'd have recommended her as a tracker. He hadn't realized that she could enhance her hearing to track down her prey, selectively boosting her speed by sending Chakra to her legs and leaving the rest of her self vulnerable. It was an unusual skill, one had to be confident in thier ability to evade attack when they'd leave so much vulnerable. In seduction, every aspect of her body and soul became a weapon too. Weapons she couldn't allow to scratch or chip. Every smile, every laugh was just a tool to her in the end. Every kimono sold an idea, an idea he realized that had been many an opponents downfall. ANBU had suited her so well and much like in the case of his brother it was a pity to see her leave its depths.

He wasn't naive, ANBU broke people. Kakashi, Itachi, Aranai- they'd fallen victim to its darkness. Once they'd escaped its clutches, they'd do whatever they could to avoid going back. However, some thrived there. His brother, Tenzou, Ayaka - the shadows felt so natural to them. Without its protection, they were exposed to the lesser known dangers of the stepping into the light.

Then there was that akatsuki mission. She'd lived along with 6 S-class criminals and she'd picked things up. Poisons, seduction, ninja wire, explosives, torture and religion. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised there was more on that list. Things her reprotiore had never before boasted. Yet, now they did. She'd manipulated some of the most dangerous men the world knew. If he, himself were to stand where she stood, he'd be surely dead. Yet, she'd survived and had the audacity to scold them, a criminal organization, for thier foolish complacency. To him, it was a completely mind boggling idea.

He'd trained her in the Nara Jutsu. If he was honest, she was a natural but her fighting style left him frustrated. With her larger than average reserves, she could have advanced faster then Shikamaru could ever dream off doing at that age. It wasn't long before he'd taught her all he could. However, at this point she'd honestly favored her Katon jutsu and swordmanship. He had given her premission to persuit mastery of the clans allowable techniques but had never checked that she had. As a front line fighter, most Nara clan jutsu would serve her no advantage. Now he had to wonder, how far had she taken things? Surely, not as far as her father, he'd had all those scrolls hidden away. She was mostly sane anyway, ignoring the incident at the Senju compound which was a clear result of the circumstances. Even he could admit to wanting to kill a Hyuuga once in a while for stress relief every time Hiashi made a scene. Still, he couldn't help but wonder.

She was a lot of things and he realized that was what had made it so difficult to see things clearly. He'd often heard that 'a Jack of all trades, a master of none'. Shikaku had to acknowledge this much as true. That was the very reason there was a Tobekstu Jonin rank. Even regular Jonin could not beat those who'd specialized if they were to overstep into thier areas of expertise. There were exceptions to every rule though.

 _Prodigy._

 _Neji Hyuuga, the caged bird._

 _Sasuke Uchiha, the avenger_

 _Itachi Uchiha, the clan killer._

 _Shisui Uchiha, the suicidal._

 _Kakashi Hatake, the broken man._

 _Orochimaru, the snake sannin._

There were a few others. The title was thrown around a lot these days, in every village. However, even he knew the best of them, the prodigies, had a dark side to varying degrees.

'When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you.'

He could only hope she hadn't held its gaze for too long.

* * *

 **SHIKAMARU**

"I hate this," he complained, sitting cross-legged before the Shouji board. Usually, a match against Asuma was a welcome challenge. However tonight that wasn't the case. The game was two moves from over, and it certainly wasn't about to end in his favor.

He'd just been served his Jonin exam papers. He was told Chouji and Ino would be receiving theirs too. The entire thing was throwing of his game because he could practically smell Ayaka's influence all over this.

He understood her reasoning. Honestly, there was no way the other sensei's, especially Kurenai and Gai would not take the bait. Kakashi would probably even throw in Sakura, if only to taunt Naruto. Crude as it was, even he could see the inevitable power play happening.

It didn't really matter who got promoted. Ayaka just wanted to stir the political pot and get some young blood having a say. The Konoha 12, save the Uchiha avenger were pretty tight in terms of allegiances. If you got Shikamaru's vote, for instance, Ino and Chouji would follow. What was less obvious was that Sakura would probably support Ino. Once you had Sakura, genin or not, Naruto would make a noise. Wherever there was a noise there was Lee contributing to it and wherever there was a Naruto vote, there'd be Hinata's vote. Kiba would always vote in Ayaka's favor. Engaged or not, the Inuzuka did consider her practically family. It didn't take a genuis to figure where Neji's loyalties were. Shino and Tenten were tougher cases, but he was willing to bet they'd side with thier teams.

She already had Hana and Shiho's support. Both were or would be prominent members of the Inuzuka clan. Tsume, for all intents and purposes, was basically a proxy sensei to that team. The Hyuuga, Hiashi in particular, wouldn't try to challenge her openly. Not when one considered her relationships to both Neji and Kanato. The Yuuhi clan was small, but Kurenai was it's most influential Jonin. Strained as their relationship was, he knew she'd back Ayaka when the time came. Genma and his two apprentices also had her back. They may not come from prominent clans but they were talented shinobi and had the kind of sway one shouldn't underestimate, especially amongst the Akamichi. His mother too, would support her openly and since his father had long since appointed Yoshino his proxy, the Nara clan would back her in most endeavors.

He had to hand it to her, the girl had balls. None of the clan heads would figure out what she'd done until it was far too late. Polotical power was a fickle thing, always changing. Egoism was rife when people in power grew complacent. Ayaka played people like chess pieces and he had to admit she did it well.

He much preferred Shoji. Or at least he had, back when his brain didn't fail him.

Unlike his father, Asuma didn't play with a Nara hand, making him something unfamiliar. Unlike Chouji, Asuma was never distracted by food. Unlike Ino, Asuma didn't factor in his clan jutsu to cheat. Unlike his mother, he rarely used thier matches as an excuse to barate him. Unlike Ayaka, Asuma's strategies were less volatile and more predictable.

"You know brat, you could just go home. Doesn't matter how bad your dad's fucked up, ain't never known your mother to let him have his way." Asuma puffed on his cigarette, eyes closed as he made his move, allowing for his silver general to be promoted. Shikamaru sighed at the board. There wasn't even a point to continuing. Tossing his king at his sensei and admitting his inevitable defeat, he couldn't help but feel irked.

"It isn't so simple sensei. There are things in this world I won't condone. I can't be an heir. Aside from that, theres things I want and _need_.". His voice raised at the end, and he winced at his very clear discomfort. It wasn't like he wanted to freeload on Asuma's couch. However, he didn't want to explain things to Chouji yet and Ino was a nightmare to talk to these days.

"Courting a princess is tough, even if the little spider could pull it off, and giving up your spot as heir is a big deal. Think about it. Your life can only be troublesome," Asuma blew out his smoke, not bothering to direct it away from his face. He grimaced, knowing the scent would linger in his hair. Ironic how Temari hated the smell on him, yet she easily puffed a pack a day.

"What would you do in my spot sensei?" Shikamaru closed his eyes. Imagining a world where Konohamaru's mom wanted to be head of the Sarutobi clan and Asuma just wanted simple life with Kurenai. He frowned. That was already Asuma's reality. Some men had all the luck. Asuma didn't even have to bother with the horrors of marriage. Kurenai wasn't an heir and neither was he.

"Kid, I've had my growing pains but believe me, everything up till now and until the day I die I ain't gonna regret shit. Live and love that way. It'll work out," Asuma said coolly, offering him a drag. Shikamaru shook his head at the offer. It wasn't that he didn't want to smoke, good Kami he did need an outlet. But not that outlet. Not yet.

"Fuck I hate her," he cursed the universe. Of all the cousins he could have had vying for his title, why'd it have to be the annoying one.

"Ayaka?" Asuma asked, eyes crinkling in amusement.

"Do you know of any other pain in the ass?" He pinched the bridge of his nose, not trying to hide his pained expression.

"Have you met Gai? Kakashi? _Kurenai?"_

Asuma was rolling his eyes at him now, still puffing on a cigarette.

 _"_ Touche, sensei but a psycho girl was not what I meant," he compliance in earnest.

"Temari isn't a pain in the ass psycho chick?". Asuma was openly chuckling now and he couldn't help but feel sheepish, mustering a response.

" No, uh... I mean yeah... But fuck that shit. You know what I mean sensei," he groaned. The princess of Suna was a complety troublesome pain in the ass lunatic. Unfortunately, he was fucking said psycho and he did want to keep his manhood in tact. Ergo, he'd follow said crazy blonde to the edge of the world and back, no matter how sleepy he was. Any man would do the same. The tall, blonde haired, teal eyed princess was as terrifying as she was beautiful. You couldn't dare defy her even if you wanted to.

"Shikamaru, people are like Shouji pieces. Ayaka's a silver general. You're gold. However, if she fights her way through she's gonna be your equal. We know she's gonna fight. Luckily, you're on the same side. Her win is your win." Asuma's words should have been comforting. They weren't.

"So what's dad? A king?" He asked sarcastically, knowing that Asuma would yield no answer.

"Haha, nice kid. You'll understand things soon enough, I'm sure. No worries, " Asuma said sagely, staring him down.

"I don't get it," he retorted.

"Yet," his sensei replied, eyes shut.

Nothing more was discussed that night, Asuma having instructed him to rest up. Ayaka had sent word they'd be leaving soon. He hoped it would be the next day. Thier departure would have to be stealthy. As a result, he wasn't told the specifics. He was told only Ayaka and Genma knew.

Suna was just three days journey away. Three days of travel until he got to see her. The wind goddess. The scariest woman he knew, a feat considering he knew Ino, Ayaka and Yoshino.

Just three days journey until he could try to legally date his girlfriend.

Depending on Ayaka's plan, Temari woul'd either kill him or throw her self at him by the end of it.

Assuming he survived the wrath of both Gaara and Kankuro.

He really hoped his cousin had a plan.

Else, he really was going to kill her.

* * *

 **A/N. Reviews are appreciated!**


	44. Breaking the rules

**SHIKAMARU**

He's the last person to arrive when they are due to depart for Suna. They are all set to leave in the depths of the night, almost 4am. Too late for any civilians to be moving around. Too early for shift changes on guard duty. Gai and Lee are not around doing their laps, having left on a mission with Neji. The rookie nine, minus Sasuke, had been otherwise occupied with Naruto's welcome back shenanigans so they were likely all passed out where he'd left them, sprawled out in Naruto's apartment.

The silence was daunting as he surveyed the group on ninja before him. All of them on paper were certainly his superiors.

Ayaka's been staying at the Inuzuka compound in Neji's absence. Like himself, she hasn't ventured into the Nara compound yet. It was a bit surreal to be playing diplomat, not only as a representative of the Leaf but one of his clan. Still, with things the way they were with his dad he supposed he'd have to bank on Ayaka. She was his only chance at getting even half of his goals achieved. Thinking of a certain Suna kunoichi, he had a few that were critical for him to achieve.

She was dressed to travel with her Katana fastened firmly at her back and her hands bandaged from elbow to fingertips. Her usual regal Kimono replaced by one daringly short. The wine red color and black obi suiting her aesthetic well. He raised a brow at her heeled boots, but said nothing. If she could keep pace in those he'd be impressed. Yet, as a seductress he supposed it wasn't an unusual skill. Her movements weren't as fast as he'd expected, but he didn't doubt she was recovering well. Ino had been looking out for her after all.

Aside from that she had challenged his dad. That fight, he mused, would likely occur on her arrival back in the Leaf. Assuming his father got wind of his alternative reasons for visiting Suna and her part in them.

He gazed at the rest of the party in curious speculation.

Ko Hyuuga, Hinata's childhood bodyguard, was there, looking entirely upset about being on the mission. He had to sympathize with the guy. Everyone knew Shizune had been giving the man a hard time lately. With the Hyuuga throwing this escort mission at him, he had to have been maxing out his mission quota's impressively. Shikamaru would probably die before doing a mission everyday as well as enduring the strict training regime the Hyuuga clan advocated. It was bad enough back when he was a genin and Ino would insist on extra training almost every day. He couldn't imagine working on missions everyday too.

He couldn't help but feel grateful for the stability of the cryptology department. Sure, it wasn't the liveliest of places but it wasn't completely boring. Shiho, was for the most part, decent company.

Kotetsu was standing pretty casually, his uniform sloppy. The bukijutsu user was clearly still sleepy, but even Shikamaru could sense his hyper-awareness. As a seasoned village guard Kotetsu often held the facade of nonchalance, while somehow being on high alert. As usual Kotetsu's long, spiky, black hair is quite unkempt and dark eyes promise malice in the morning if one was too loud. His trademark strip of bandage running across the bridge of his nose is sloppier than usual but Shikamaru isn't fooled. When deployed on missions, Kotetsu with his pair of blades strapped to his back, is far from sloppy.

His partner, Izumo seemed nervous. Shikamaru had to pity him. He'd had disagreements with Ayaka, that was certain, but nobody had ever quite pissed her off the same way Izumo had. Still, for all his clear apprehension, Izumo was a professional first on a mission. He'd keep the situation in check, for as long as necessary. He was pretty sure everyone was expecting that from the mature and sensible shinobi. His brown hair is combed down and covering his right eye - if it's injured, Shikamaru doubts he would ever know. Awkward or not, Izumo was an asset that's one would do best not to underestimate. Anyone doing so, would probably taste his steel.

The sheer awkwardness of Izumo aside, Genma Shiranui was in charge of the mission. He'd been an elite body guard for some time. Shikamaru knew he was a good candidate to lead despite his Jonin promotion being recent. It didn't take a genius to realize that Genma's late promotion wasn't a testimony to his skills. He'd been Jonin rank ages ago, off the record. Genma had no use of the title though. He hadn't pursued it earlier since it gave him no advantages. He was a Kage's body guard, so he needn't leave the village on missions often, nor did he need to play the rank card. He had no desire to take on any more brats in an official capacity and being from a civilian clan, there was no pressure on him to advance due to politics. A Jonin status on Genma Shiranui had only raised his bounty in Bingo books, a fact the Senbon chewer probably wasn't too happy about.

The head of Tsunade's personal guard? A pair of the village's best collaborative fighters? Then to finish it off with Ko Hyuuga, an elite Jonin who'd specialized in being a body guard to a clan heiress for years?

Ayaka alone hadn't the kind of sway to force this without involving some kind of incentive. How or what could it be though? He was clueless. He barely knew Ko. He'd had no desire to train under Genma as a child, traditional weaponry wasn't his kind of thing. Kotetsu and Izumo, although familiar because they often worked with Asuma, were hardly his friends.

Yet, he could tell it didn't make sense.

Ko Hyuuga, guarding the fiancee of the clans prodigy he could have bought, if he hadn't been 'dishonoring' the family lately. There's no way he would, under normal circumstances, be volunteered to represent the family in any kind of way until he made amends.

He knew that pulling Kotetsu and Izumo of the village guard duty roster simultaneously, for a diplomacy guard mission, was nearly impossible. It could be done sure, but usually when the pair left on missions together it was scheduled well in advance in order to make sure their replacements had the same level of competency. He also couldn't imagine them consenting to take this mission anyway, their relationship with the Nara clan as fragile as it was. He shuddered to think what a mess up here could cost them. What did they have to gain?

The only person he wasn't shocked to see here was Genma. That was merely because he knew his cousin considered the man her shisho. Still, if Kotetsu, Izumo and Ko were here it seemed like over kill to even have a Kage's guard present. This was ignoring the fact that he was an experienced Chuunin and Ayaka a former member of the black ops. Genma didn't like taking on pointless missions. He took his job as a Kage's guard too seriously to be here for the fun of it.

It was slightly embarrassing to admit to himself that he was the weakest person present on paper. Even though he was feeling a thousand times better and Ayaka was still healing, he knew better than to make assumptions based on that.

In life he hadn't much ambition until lately. Being a chuunin, the first of his class was an accomplishment he had found annoying. He was grateful Neji had skipped ahead with Jonin rank. He'd always been one of the Rookie 9's best without trying. However, on a team like this he couldn't help but feel complacent, especially without Ino and Chouji around.

A Kage's body guard. An heiress's bodyguard. Two of the best village guards. Everyone Tobeksu ranked or higher. It was crazy.

It was like a escort mission dream team. Except, those being escorted weren't exactly helpless themselves. He wasn't useless, chuunin or not, he had faith in his abilities. Ayaka, he assumed, was more than ready. He could sense it in the smirk glued to her face as she eyed her escort team.

Tsunade had cleared her to be officially off medical leave once they set foot in Suna. He didn't know quite what Ino's surgery would do to her. The general consensus was that only Ayaka alone could handle such a surgery. One had to have an aptitude for one handed seals and to have larger than average reserves.

Ino had said the surgery would make her dangerous. They didn't know how it might affect the balance of yin and yang Chakra within her. However,whether or not she would be a danger to herself or simply to others, they couldn't yet be certain. He was willing to bet it was the latter though. If Ino, Tsunade and Yoshino backed this idea with confidence, who was he to argue?

He didn't know what exactly Ayaka planned to find after her in the Hidden Sand village. However, Shikamaru did know he pitied it very much.

She was a dangerous woman. Not just in terms of her changing skill set. Ayaka had something more.

 _Confidence_

She exuded it and she knew it.

Whatever bullshit she was selling to get these shinobi here, they were certainly buying it.

Suna didn't stand a chance.

* * *

 **KANKURO**

He was tangled in his sheets with a pretty young thing, the replacement Gaara had hired due to his previous indiscretions. The girl from the missives room, who's name he couldn't quite remember, was a chatty thing. He'd be sure to let Gaara know exactly how easily she caved into leaking bits of information. Fair enough, it had been information he was entitled to have, but the girl didn't know that.

Kankuro didn't like loose lips much. Suna didn't have fancy cytologist like the Leaf. Those that kept the records of data in Suna were supposed to be hardened shinobi. To allow oneself to be persuaded, by the brother of a Kage no less was asking for trouble.

He wouldn't kill her - Gaara wouldn't stand for that. However, Suna was not a kind place to be sub-par with one's job. The pretty little thing would be experiencing suna's T&I soon. It would serve as a warning to her in the future. Suna shinobi were not as kind as their Leaf counterparts at the end of the day. Temari wouldn't blink at sending a newbie to T&I. Gaara would be even less concerned about it.

Rasa certainly hadn't spared them from such a fate in their youth. No wonder they'd all hated him.

Still, even though Kankuro knew they were harsher than the Leaf on paper, he knew Konoha held monsters. The place had birthed Orochimaru and Itachi Uchiha.

Just like it had birthed Ayaka Nara. If Gaara hadn't let him know she was Spider he would never have looked into her.

The woman behind the mask was as attractive as her disguises hinted at. Kankuro, always a fan of an a aesthetically pleasing woman, was surprised Shikamaru's cousin was a bonafide babe.

Well the first shock was realizing that Ayaka Nara, ward of Yoshino and Shikaku was on a mere technicality Shikamaru's sibling.

Although the Leaf and Sand were allies they tended to avoid to sharing too much about each other's clan politics. Any records discussed were usually for a Kage's eyes only, and those that served the missives department.

Which was how he'd found out from the lovely creature, currently occupied underneath him, that the young Miss Nara was trying to usurp Shikamaru's position as heir.

This could be concerning. He didn't know who he was meant to guard the girl from. It would be a pity if it were Shikamaru who was the one trying to kill her and vice versa. It certainly would result in a conflict of interest if his siblings found out. Luckily, rumor had it according to the missives, Shikamaru was fully supporting her claim as heiress. Even more surprising, the Nara girl had played a hand in nominating Shikamaru for the Jonin exams.

Temari sure as hell knew how to find a lazy guy. Not many would give up the prestige of being an heir to their spare. It was mere conjecture at this point but he was pretty sure he knew why Shikamaru was so intent on giving up his position as heir.

On paper, Temari was a technical head of the Subaku line. His sister did a good job in all honesty. Temari was easily the most well rounded of all of them in terms of skill, in fact she was the preferred candidate as Kage.

She'd refused point blank when Gaara had taken an interest. Initially, he'd felt she was afraid to compete with their brother but when she'd immediately became a diplomat and started to frequently go to the Leaf he'd become suspicious.

Kankuro was an occasional spy for ANBU these days. A master spy in fact. There was no conceivable way Temari could hide her infatuation with Shikamaru from him. As a head of the Subaku she could not conceivably be allowed a public relationship a clan kid from the Leaf. Never mind a relationship with a clan heir.

Doing so without following protocol would cost her a lot. Her position as Subaku head included, if he was frank. If Shikamaru gave up his position as heir the pair of them had a chance. However Shikamaru wasn't a Jonin and Temari was. Such a gross imbalance in aptitude on paper was not something Suna would tolerate. The desert was a harsh place, harsher so were its traditions.

If Temari, a Jonin, wanted a relationship with Shikamaru, a chuunin, there were usually two options for those of noble birth. He supposed Shikamaru qualified as nobility in the Leaf.

The first option of which, if Shikamaru was a Jonin, he could challenge Temari's closest relative for her hand. Unfortunately, Shikamaru didn't have that rank yet. Even if he did, ruling out Gaara because he was a Kage, Kankuro would be his opponent. If he was honest, he was a bad match up for the Shadow user. Not that there was any conceivable way Gaara would loose either.

Shikamaru's skills were in strategy and teamwork. He had ranged techniques and wouldn't fare well against multiple opponents. Shikamaru's Chakra reserves and stamina weren't great either.

When it came to fighting a puppeteer? It was never a one on one fight. Kankuro could fight at various ranges. His reserves were the smallest of his siblings, but his Chakra control was good enough to use them sparingly. Stamina wise, he was far above average. It was necessary when one trained in a desert.

So even if Shikamaru could fight him, he had very little doubt he'd win unless he threw the fight or Temari and the pineapple head teamed up in terms of strategy. As one of the two people that always defeated him in spars, Temari knew his weak spots.

Now the second option was an interesting one. For the sake of politics, Shikamaru could appoint a proxy. It's not something often done but the Suna council would not be allowed to object in a private clan affair. Provided it be someone from Shikamaru's clan of adequate rank.

Kankuro didn't need to be a strategist to wager who that would be.

Who else but Spider?

They'd worked together before on the odd sabotage/seduction mission. (An unusual pairing but who was he to question a Kage's orders? ) They had an fair idea of each others level of danger even with the limited range of abilities they'd used.

Now, don't get him wrong. Kankuro genuinely wanted to see Temari happy and Shikamaru was a decent guy, for a Leaf. However, Kankuro also genuinely wanted to fight Spider. He wasn't certain how Temari would take that. Not well he imagined.

All he wanted was a no holds barred fight. Yet, now there was a whole added complication of clan customs and his sisters relationship. He hated to sound like the Nara but politics was such a _drag._ If Kankuro was ever made heir, he would rewrite the rules. He couldn't fathom why Temari hadn't yet.

Then again, Temari disregarded rules on a whim. The princess of Suna was the councils favored clan head.

He didn't think anyone had ever dared to impose rules on Gaara.

He alone had always taken on the full load of Suna's ridiculous policies until now.

Gaara would be furious when he learned that as Kage he had no right to interfere in clan affairs, even if it was his sister's suitor.

Temari would rampage at the mere idea that she had to get the shinobi equivalent of permission to merely court her boy toy.

Perhaps Kankuro would finally have some help breaking the chains that bound him.

The Subaku siblings did have a thing for breaking the rules, anyway.


	45. Forgiveness and blood

**SHIKAKU**

After a great many years in the service as an active shinobi he'd thought he was far from the inexperienced rookie he'd been during his youth.

Considering his wife's favorite fire jutsu, ' _dancing twin dragons'_ was racing at him, diminishing any and all shadows around him, he was questioning the notion. Usually the Nara Shadow style matched poorly against proficient Katon users.

Luckily Nara taijutsu prioritized evasion and maintaining a certain amount of distance from an opponent. After all these years, evasion was second nature to him.

Still, Ayaka was a proficient katon user them most and she wouldn't be a traditional one if the Yamanaka heiress's proposed surgery worked. If he was going to face her, he'd at the very least honor it properly by training in his free time. Who better to practice against, he'd mused, than Yoshino? She had been the one that had started his niece off in terms of training her ninjutsu.

It had been years since Yoshino had been an active shinobi in anyway and sometimes he forgot how formidable a match up the woman had been back in her day. Still, Yoshino was rusty, the were holes in her taijutsu and her attacks relied heavily on her Chakra. As a former field medic, she wasn't used to getting all close and personal with an opponent. Yet, she fought well for someone that hailed from a civilian family. Never had anyone ever dared assume Yoshino as cannon fodder and for that he was grateful.

His wife was good, surprisingly so after her years of retirement and he wondered again if she regretted being the Nara Matriarch. However with all her skill almost sunken in her like muscle memory, it was still not good enough to defeat him with all his experience.

He was careful with the way he aimed his Kunai, allowing them to pierce her flesh in non fatal area's. Yoshino merely rolled her eyes at his gall, throwing back some kunai of her own as she danced away.

He managed to evade the bulk of them one grazing his cheek, whilst evading the flames that spewed from her mouth.

With just enough distance between himself and her, he could already see he was as close as anyone could be to wining. Her hands were glowing a minted green, healing the wounds he'd caused after ripping out the kunai. Yet, her breathing was heavy and her movement sluggish. Her short dark hair was matted with sweat, clinging to her forehead and her stance was sloppy.

Her Chakra was depleted and her stamina was shot. He could sense the fatigue rolling off her in waves. Still, even though she knew the spar was lost, she fought. It was eat to tell she was a veteran of a shinobi war. Unlike most young retiree's, she fought with the kind of zeal that knew the reality of battle. There was real danger there, if he'd truly been an enemy. Cornered beasts knew only to fight with ferocity till their last breaths. Such was the nature of a shinobi who's last battle had been in war.

Kami help him, she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

He dropped his stance immediately and marched towards her. Perhaps she knew the spar was over, or perhaps it was her way of winning. Either way, he didn't get a kunai to the ribs when he embraced her, uncaring of the sweat on both their bodies when he placed his forehead to hers.

Her hand was tender as it cupped his cheek, healing the graze that she'd placed there. For a woman so astute with being rough, Yoshino was always extremely gentle with her touches. A fact he enjoyed as leaned into her calloused palm, uncaring if he got blood on those hands that no longer took lives on the battle field but still looked like they could.

"I'm sorry," he murmurs to her and she responds by placing those lips, still chapped from spewing out vermilion flames, on his cheek. She traces her hands gently down his body, then laces her hands around his waist and he knows by the look in his eyes that his wife, the toughest woman he'd ever known, has already forgiven him.

In a silent conversation of gentle caresses she speaks to him.

Yoshino forgives him for driving the kids, Ayaka and Shikamaru both, from the house. She understands why the interrogation happened the way it had, even if the two of them didn't. Even though he would never allow a repeat of the event in future that also placed one of his best friends in a coma, she forgives the fact that he considered it the lesser evil at the time.

Yoshino even forgives him for not fighting her becoming a stay at home matriarch. She understood that he'd needed the help and kami, she knew she was good at managing the clan. He wouldn't have had a clue how to handle Shikamaru and Ayaka's rivalry and respective ongoing rebellious phases. He still feels terrible she's not on active duty though. There's always been skill her bones and drive in her actions. If she hadn't stopped, she wouldn't be just good - she'd be brilliant.

Yoshino forgives him for being unable to protect Ayaka and keep her in the shadows. He's sure she's always found it a ridiculous idea. She's raised the girl and the girl shines so brightly. Yoshino doesn't believe for a minute anyone could've stopped Ayaka from being noticed by certain elements in the village.

She knows why he disapproves of Ayaka's ambitions and Shikamaru's romance. She thinks his an idiot, or so he gathers, but she forgives him anyway. Yoshino thinks his heart is in the right place, even if his head is being a 'baka'. She disregards the notion of history repeating itself. Shikamaru and Ayaka are their own people, not possessions of a clan. She forgives him for going as far as to battle his niece in an attempt to force ( yes, he acknowledges his son's unwillingness) Shikamaru to be heir as per his right as clan head. He can see it in her eyes, she backs her children in this fight. She intends to forgive him for putting them all through this when he looses (or so she assumes) .

She even forgives that he doesn't intend to loose. He knows this because Yoshino has agreed to a spar, something he hasn't found the time to do with her in years despite knowing she adores his attention. She forgives the fact that he forgets she's a shinobi behind the sobering veil of their marriage.

Shikaku had a great many years of experience on his wife in terms of service. Yet, somehow when she whispered silent forgiveness in her touch, he still felt like the bumbling rookie that had tried to romance her.

* * *

 **DEIDERA**

Itachi is relentless throughout the night, despite Deidera knowing his raven haired lover is definitely exhausted. Still, Deidera allows himself to be submissive for once, Itachi's caresses were heaven sent after all. He dares to admit its attractive anyway, to see Itachi so set on being the dominating party.

What he doesn't dare admit, out loud at least, is that Itachi owning him physically turns him on too much. Although he supposed, with those sharingan an fixated on his body, Itachi had more than a slight inkling of what he was doing to him. If not, the fact that Deidera had uttered every profanity under the sun tonight, in varying degrees of coherency, would have clued the Uchiha in.

Still, he'd be cranky and sore in the morning if Itachi persisted with this ridiculous insatiability. Sasori would not take kindly to him limping all the way to Suna and insist on trying to play medic.

Deidera was _so_ _not having that conversation with Sasori._ It was bad enough Kakuzu had given him a modified and vaguely traumatizing the birds and the bees talk. Or bees and bees. Or birds and birds. Or other pairings Deidera had to question how or where the miser had come up with. Kakuzu was a plethora of life experience, after all.

"Enough...un...you'll break me, yeah."

Itachi slips away from him, obediently letting him breath for a moment and Deidera is content to fall asleep just there before he feels lips on his shoulders.

"I'm sore, dammit!" He exclaims swatting wondering arm's away as he rolls over on his elbows to stare at the Genjutsu user.

Itachi was spent as he leaned against Deidera's headboard. His long hair was tangled, curtosy of Deidera's explorations. The Uchiha was breathing heavily, but evenly, much to his own relief. All in all, he looked delicious but Deidera had meant what he said. He did have to go to Suna and fight a Kage. Rest was important.

" Hn," came Itachi's standard response, to which Deidera could only roll his eyes to.

" You're a baka, un. Even if i was tired I still have to go tomorrow."

"Kisame and I could -," before he could even finish the statement Deidera was silencing him, palm placed firmly over his mouth. He let his hand mouth play a bit on Itachi's lips, amused by the barely concealed glare he got in return.

"Hidan and Kakuzu have seen the Yugito girl before, yeah. They should be the ones to ambush her since she's supposed to be strong and traveling with a team, un. Kisame is the best bet against the Raikage's brother, un and you know the Leaf so you get the baby Uchiha's team mate, yeah. " Deidera was quite proud of his argument. He'd help Konan decide the placements ages ago.

The reasoning was sound. Itachi was familiar with Konoha and its Jinchuuriki was only a genin even if it housed the kyuubi. He didn't really tell Konan that he also wanted Itachi to take on the Genin because he suspected the Genjutsu users health would suffer against anyone else.

Kakuzu had excelled in getting Fu. The same with Konan and her respective Jinchuuriki.

The Raikage's baby brother was rumored to be a perfect Jinchuuriki that also used blades. Kisame had the raw Chakra and sword-skills to pull of that kind of fight, even if he may need back up.

Like Killer Bee, Yugito was also rumored to be a perfect Jinchuuriki favoring close combat and Katon jutsu. Considering Hidan was an immortal and had almost been obsessed with training against those two skill categories lately, he didn't hesitate in giving the Zealot a recommendation. Plus the priest was on the lookout for a former Kumo kunoichi. Perhaps he'd get answers.

He's recommended Sasori get the Sanbi and he the Ichibi. Konan had almost argued, before a flare of nostalgia graced her usually stoic face and she admitted that Sasori's puppets may not fare too well against someone who controlled sand in a dessert.

However a puppet army was a good tactic in subduing a jinchuurikiless Sanbi. There was no way any single shinobi would be able to defeat and subdue the unhoused Sanbi. Unless they had access to an army.

As for himself, he was the best bet at crippling an ultimate defense or so he'd argued. Konan had agreed in the end so he supposed she backed him.

There were a couple of others around, but they were missing ninja. It would fall to Zetsu or Pein to track them down. Depending on what they saw, Konan would send someone convenient out. After all, they were supposed to be jinchuuriki level by now.

Unfortunately, Itachi didn't share the sentiment.

"The Ichibi has a strong defense. It's Jinchuuriki is a Kage, Deidera."

"I know what happened with Juzo and Yagura, un. This is different. An excellent defense is just an excellent target, yeah." Deidera is proud to see Itachi's face twitch almost allowing for an amused snort.

The story of Itachi's former partner was a stern reminder of how powerful both Kage and Jinchuuriki could be. Deidera wasn't naive enough to neglect the fact.

For now, the argument was over. It wasn't Itachi's place to tell him what to do on a mission anyway. Deidera was even looking forward to going up against a Kage.

He'd need to be on that level to ever defeat Itachi.

He'd been told all his life he would be Kage level in his prime, hence Iwa's obsession with controlling him. It was time to test the theory that had stolen any sense of freedom from him as a child in power hungry Iwa.

Even if Itachi wore him out tonight, a still likely possibility given the Genjutsu user was still eyeing him with no intentions of rest, Deidera wouldn't forsake this battle.

One way or another, he was going to Suna. The sirens call of carnage was too much. The urge to create art in the only way he knew how was like an aphrodisiac lingering in the air, incomparable to anyone and anything but Itachi Uchiha. Blood would fall in Suna. Not even Itachi Uchiha could stop that if he tried.

He could only hope the Uchiha could forgive him, if it was indeed Deidera's own blood that fell too.


	46. Jonin

**NEJI**

"I've been waiting to get a word in with you, Neji. How are you?"

She was standing in the doorway of the room they'd be sharing, her hair out of its twin buns and wet from the onsen. Like always, Tenten had donned her night gown and slippers while holding two steaming cups of tea. Gai had informed him that he intended to have him second both Tenten and Lee's Jonin nominations upon the return to the Leaf. The shock had distracted him for most of the day and he was aware that he'd been more silent than usual.

With his double promotion he'd never done the Jonin exam. It was a wake up to reality to know he didn't have to compete with his team but rather recommend them. They were all growing up. Still, since Tenten didn't know about this, she probably thought something else was on his mind.

The mission hadn't been particularly grueling yet, so they guarded the Daiymo in shifts while he wasn't out in public. The man had been irate that Kiba hadn't been sent but it couldn't be helped. Kiba was temporarily added to the village guard force and would only take on tracking missions while Kurenai was feeling ill.

As a rule, he always shared in rooms with Tenten. Gai and Lee were always a bit too much for either of them to bare with, and as the two more introverted members of the team they'd quickly formed an alliance for the sake of sanity. Having given the duo the first set of guard duty, he supposed he ought to have seen a deep conversation with Tenten coming tonight.

Tenten was his first everything. His first sparring partner. His first friend. His first kiss. His first lover. He would dare even call her his first girlfriend, despite her very stern disapproval.

He'd always half hoped to end up with her and he'd always known it would be too cruel a fate for her. Tenten had dreams and goals the Hyuuga would never date to tolerate the way they were now. She had no intentions towards marriage and children. She had love for him and he for her, but they were never quite in love.

Tenten didn't do romance. Tenten would not be a possession of his. Tenten didn't even do exclusivity.

Sure, he knew if the Hyuuga were forcing him into taking a bride and he'd asked her, she would probably have saved him from his fate. Tenten was generous like that.

Caged as he had been his whole life, he couldn't trap her.

Sitting cross legged in front of him, she gazed warmly at him as she offered him the mug.

"Guess I worried you, Tenten. I am fine. I do approve of her. She's something else honestly." There's an unworded apology in his voice that almost makes him cringe but Tenten takes no heed of the elephant in the room. Merely laughing as she sips her tea, the weapon's mistress eyes held mirth in them as she contemplated his apology.

"Well if you didn't want her, I'd tap that, " she retorts and Neji chokes on his tea at that particular _image._

While Neji wanted to chastise her vile thoughts, his own were quite deep in the gutter in response. Tenten was always fairly keen on experimenting. Ayaka was fairly liberal in terms of sexuality. It wasn't implausible that the only thing standing between himself and _the best night of his life_ was his own prudishness. And his clan of course.

"Tenten, that's my future wife, " he chastised her while shaking his head. Of course a conversation he felt would be serious would end in Tenten hitting on Ayaka. Some things never changed. Tenten gulps her tea, there's still laughter lingering on her face and he's certain she knows she'd triggered his hormones, albeit slightly. Tenten's a master at that. She doesn't flaunt her body like Ino nor does she exude raw sexuality like Ayaka. She's not innocent like Hinata nor does she pine devotedly after her beloved like Sakura.

Tenten is blunt when it comes to getting what she wants. A conversation with Tenten is as delicate as cutting a birthday cake with a baseball bat. She's not one to beat around the bush at all. So her next words, while completely inappropriate were far from surprising.

"Like it's such an unthinkable thing that a clan head would have a side piece." There's brutal honestly in her words and he grits his teeth. Nobody but Tenten would have the balls to address this with him. Even Ayaka had ignored the topic of their exclusivity.

" She isn't a clan head. " Neji retorts, already knowing the excuse is flimsy. Most shinobi didn't confide themselves to monogamy. Less so a woman like Ayaka, a woman with power and a talent to make others bend to their will.

"Yet." With that Tenten wins the arguments and he knows it. He silences his groan as he contemplates yet another difficult conversation. She leaves him to his thoughts, slipping into her futon, after placing an apologetic kiss on his cheek.

He curses her under his breath and he can here her light chuckle while he contemplates the argument she's presented.

What a terribly intuitive woman Tenten was. Through the subtle context of requesting a _threesome,_ if not to become Ayaka's mistress, she'd reminded him that fate or not, his marriage was arranged. As such, the pair of them would need to iron out a contract for matters like infidelity. It would vs important he decides. If she were named a clan head, she could divorce him in favor of another at anytime with little consequence.

Just look at Tsume Inuzuka. Two kids and a husband she'd basically ran out the village. Not a soul had challenged her or even queried the paternity of her heir nor spare. Clan heads were notoriously unfaithful after all. He knew for a fact his uncle had a mistress or two during his late wife's pregnancies.

If gossip were to be believed the only clans that frowned upon the idea, on paper, were the Akamichi and the Yamanaka. The Nara's were more liberal but he didn't think that Shikaku would have the audacity to wrong Yoshino.

Neji likes to consider himself an honorable man so he had not questioned his ability to be loyal to Ayaka. However, Tenten had a fair point. He liked his fiancee and had no qualms about monogamy should that be what is required. He might even be well on his way to falling in love with her. However, would they really remain exclusive? It wasn't like he'd asked her views and because of the attempts on her life she hadn't been left without guard. If she had a lover, she would not be able to fornicate with them for a while. Did he even want them to be exclusive, at the end of the day? Tenten seemed to doubt it.

Then again, if they weren't exclusive, who would he even want to seek out? Maybe Tenten but being one of her lovers meant heavy competition. While Tenten was fun and energetic in the bedroom, he wasn't sure he would be able to keep being intimate with her being on his team. A rumor he was cheating on the potential heiress with Tenten could only end badly for them all, despite the fact Ayaka may not care.

He'd been jealous when he'd heard of Ayaka's mission with the Akatsuki. However, less so for Ayaka's romance and more for the fact he'd barely known her. Was he bothered she was in love before? Not really, life for a shinobi was pretty short, one tended to love recklessly. He couldn't actually flaw Ayaka for it. The only thing he was concerned about was that, in his eyes, she'd apparently fallen for a complete psychopath.

If he were to tell Ayaka about Tenten, would his fiancee be upset he'd crossed a line with a team member? He really doubted it. He questioned if Ayaka was even capable of being jealous or if she could be impractical enough to expect her to have been his first. If he fell into bed with Tenten again, not that he had any pressing desire to do so, would he jeopardize his relationship?

The princess didn't seem clingy. Still, it would he best not to chance it despite all the evidence that supports his theory.

There was an air to her that held the kind of confidence that she didn't and couldn't give a fuck as long as he was content. He wouldn't ignore that although he was young, attractive and they had chemistry, that their relationship was political on her part.

Ayaka had goals. It was a notion Neji had to remind himself of. Like a true Nara she fixated on a problems, her actions serving a strategy to a game of chess in her head. He likened himself to a chess piece. To an extent, he was even using her. If she could become an heiress, he could do what no branch member had ever done. Sever the ties of his children and lineage from the caged bird seal.

They had mutual goals and by kami's help they even liked each other.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder how much of their affection was a result of them subtly playing the game of politics? How much of it was genuine interest?

Tenten had shattered his rose tinted goggles slightly. He had to remember what was at stake here. He had to start playing the game and play it well. He'd spent the entire time of his courtship succumbing to her whims. It was to be expected, given her skill set. However, he was willing to bet affection wasn't one-sided at this point.

Ayaka's heart was a prize to be valued if he could claim it. However freedom itself? That was a reward beyond his wildest dreams.

He wished he wasn't on a mission and she wasn't heading of towards Suna. It was time to clearly define the finer parameters of their relationship.

* * *

 **KIBA**

"So you mean to tell me that just booking a venue costs about 8 A rank missions?" He exclaimed, distaste on his feature's. Shiho and Hana are looking at him with sympathy and amusement, respectively. Akamaru at least shared his disdain.

Apparently a clan wedding was a large affair even if the bride was civilian. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem if his mother was letting him use clan funds to pay for the event. Unfortunately Tsume had kicked him out of her office before he could fully voice his request.

"You brats need to fund it alone. Usually the brides family pays a dowry and the groom funds the rest."

Shiho had paled at Tsume's words despite him assuring her that it couldn't possibly apply to her. Shiho was orphaned after all. The bill was his entirely.

Still, she hadn't looked well at the news, despite his reassurances.

Even worse than money was the time.

He almost pitied Neji. Apparently Ayaka had dumped all the wedding planning on him. Now the man was stuck planning with Ino and Yoshino.

Hana and Hinata were far too busy helping him. The former had found a caterer and the latter had contacts for Sake. Still he and Shiho were awfully low on funds.

Planning a wedding on this scale on a chuunin salary was intense. Kiba totally needed a promotion. Guarding the village was an honor but it didn't pay much.

A Jonin salary on the other hand would've helped a lot more.

He'd have asked Kurenai to recommend him, but she'd been in a terrible mood lately. The poor woman had caught a tummy bug it seemed and hadn't left her home in days.

Shino had offered sympathies - the bug-nin been itching for a nomination too - but was currently too busy with an apprenticeship under Iruka sensei to outright request a jonin to aid him. Kiba envied Shino for the escape from wedding planning. Although, he was curious what Shino was apprenticing for.

Shino was easily Jonin level as were Team Gai. A few of the Rookie 9 were close to that level too. It was a title that felt ridiculously overdue. Hell, even Hinata could probably give the exams a fair shot.

Rumor had it there were a lot of recommendations this year. Shikamaru, was a definite possibility, if not a surety at this point. Asuma would be under pressure by the Nara head to nominate the shadow ninja. By now the dispute between the hierarchy in the Nara Clan is well known. Everyone was itching to see how it played out.

Ayaka Nara, the eccentric and beautiful former Jonin level ANBU would square off against the war veteran, clan head and most importantly Jonin commander Shikaku Nara. more sensational still was the genius Nara heir's blatant support of his cousin to usurp his position and title, for reason's most of the shinobi in the villages could divine. It wasn't a secret that the only time the Nara heir could be persuaded to actually take his duties seriously was when he was an escort to a particular Suna jonin diplomat.

How said diplomat even got away with having the Nara heir 'guard' her in the visitors quarters overnight was beyond him.

Jonin sure as hell lead a privileged life. He was pretty certain if he openly disputed Hana's claim he'd be run out of the clan on principle, regardless of her feelings about it.

Jonin, he mused, were just plain _awesome._

He couldn't wait to be one.

* * *

 **SHIKAMARU**

Sparring wasn't something he neglected but usually he'd train with his team or other members of the rookie 9. He'd thought he was alright at it, all things considered.

Now? He was quite certain he was delusional.

When Kotetsu posed the idea that they spar when they'd set up camp in the evening, Genma had shrugged and cautioned them not to waste chakra. Ko opted out initially, saying that they should be on guard. However, they were in still in fire country and with a little coaxing he fell victim to Izumo and Kotetsu's nagging. Shikamaru didn't even try resisting. It had been a tiring day of running but he supposed sparring with a different set of peers would be good experience. His exam's were coming up soon anyway.

Ayaka had simply drawn her blade, indicating she was game to a few rounds, her red eyes glinting in anticipation.

Genma had grunted that he'd referee the free for all - someone had to be responsible after all.

Then, they'd gone at it. He wasn't shocked that he, a ninjutsu favoring shinobi, would fair badly in a chakraless spar. However in this kind of spar, against a kenjutsu user, two bukijutsu specialists and a Hyuuga, he was fairing worse than usual.

Ko's strikes were still powerful, even if he wasn't using the gentle fist style and a single blow from the Hyuuga had him cursing under his breath. Ayaka's katana and its sheath were both in action. She was never still, always in motion and driving her opponents back with precise strikes and flexible manoeuvres, to which he'd unsuccessfully tried to parry with a kunai. Izumo and Kotetsu never waste a movement nor give an opening. They'd switch from offense to defense in remarkable tandem and he found he couldn't quite lay a decisive blow on them either.

Shikamaru's outclassed and he knows it. Stamina wise he's spent. None of them seem to care for his presence anymore either. What had started as a free for all was quickly descending into a tag team battle which he had been graciously left out of. Ayaka is already flanking Ko. The pair of them clearly deciding that they'd take on the two problematically allied bukijutsu users together before beating the crap out of each other.

If he wasn't so sore he would have been insulted at their clear snub. they'd ignored him, as if an increase in numbers wouldn't aid either sides cause. Genma doesn't mention his shameful withdraw from the battle as he ambles over to share the log the senbon chewer sitting on. He can tell the older Jonin is on high alert- this is still a mission - despite having his eyes fixated on the spar.

Genma has trained the 3 quarters of the mock battle before him and he realized had most likely been in the academy the same time that Ko had. In the cool night air, Shikamaru can't quite help but admire the shinobi next to him for that at least. Kotetsu was volatile and chaotic. Izumo was swift and controlled. Ayaka was egotistical and strategic. It couldn't have been easy keeping them in line growing up. for the first time ever he cursed his disinterest. His dad had often checked up on Genma, Ayaka in tow when he was little. He'd valued sleeping in as a kid a bit more than shinobi skills.

"You trained them well," he compliments the older shinobi watching Izumo try to avoid Ko's strike while Ayaka and Kotetsu's blades are locked in a power play.

Genma snorts and shifts his gaze towards Shikamaru's worn form. The run and his short stint in the battle has been hard on him and it shows in his appearance. He hates excessive physical activity. This day has been full of that.

"They didn't get that way through me kid. Practice makes perfect. Those four train hard and yes, I include the Hyuuga in this. They are shinobi and not the type born with silver spoons and titles. _If we fuck up - nobody is coming to save us._ They'd come for you though, Nara heir," Genma pauses as if contemplating whether or not what else he wants to say is relevant and if it would get him in trouble. Shikamaru cannot help but feel unworthy.

Ino's drilled it into him time and time again that he needs to train more. Temari, for all her admiration for his skills in shoji shares Ino's sentiments. He wonders if the girls would ever become friends, if they'd team up on him and beat it into his sorry ass how lacking he was. Yoshino has tried to convince him to train more since birth but had given up when it was clear his cousin was a more willing student. Even his father and Asuma have cautioned him that genius will never quite make up for his lacking experience. Chouji with all his pacifism, was enthusiastic about learning the Akamichi jutsus and couldn't understand why Shikamaru only trained to use the jutsu most convenient in battle. Nobody quite understood Shikamaru's longing to be average and lack of incentive to success when he very clearly was not mediocre nor unsuccessful.

"You train when you want to, Shikamaru. They train because they want to _survive_."

There's shame in the silence as they watch the spar descend into the most contained warfare he's ever seen. He'd have to ask them, he decides, to train with him in Suna.

He will make _Jonin_.

He will prove himself to both the Leaf and Suna.

Only then, could he walk away from it all.


	47. Blood in the Desert

**[AN: loving all the feedback. I might start updating a bit slower next month. Unfortunately I have to submit a proposal for my masters degree soon. However, I will be updating as soon as I can manage.]**

 **KO**

Given his secret mission that would inevitably lead to his demise or civil war, Ko had not expected to enjoy any part of this mission escorting the Nara's to Suna. The small spar had been successful distraction from his turbulent thoughts and an enjoyable one at that.

Kotetsu and Izumo were certainly Jonin level. As he'd suspected, Ayaka was also fared extraordinary well in close combat. Shikamaru, well he'd have to work on a few things if he ever wanted to be a Jonin. There was potential there though. the younger Nara had that spark of intuition where he knew when to admit defeat and regroup. There were few in the shinobi ranks that could boast the same sense of self preservation.

Even the most naive of soldiers could be molded into the best of tools. Every shinobi village was aware of this. Even the Sannin had been mere genin once. Ko himself was a Jonin, an elite, against the odds. Nobody cared what their tools were at the end of the day, as long as they got the job done.

There was something amazing about being the last man standing in a spar with individuals as talented as Ayaka, Kotetsu and Izumo. Fair enough, they weren't going all out and it had been sheer dumb luck he wasn't a part of the tangle of limbs that he was staring warily at but _, by kami, Ko had actually won._

The mock spar had been going pretty evenly, minus the Nara heir, until Ayaka had brought ninja wire into the fray. Unfortunately, she herself had gotten tangled up in her own plan. Ninja wire worked wonders on unarmed shinobi. Unfortunately, Kotetsu and Izumo, the targets of her wrath were experienced weapon users. The two wouldn't go down without taking her down with them. He was fortunate enough, as the only non weapon wielder to know to avoid the fuck out of ninja wire. It had paid of in the end, considering his current view of his opponents.

He could see by the scowl on Ayaka's face, that being sandwiched between Kotetsu and Izumo was definitely not on her agenda. Genma's face palm indicated that the senbon chewer hadn't expected the result either and yet he was somehow still not surprised.

The other two shinobi were also less than pleased. Izumo seemed about ready to hyperventilate in sheer awkwardness, while Kotetsu was worming around in discomfort, apparently oblivious to his partners state. Taking pity on the trio and noting that neither Shikamaru nor Genma made any attempts to help, he cut them free with a Kunai.

They didn't spare a single second in leaping apart. Kotetsu shoved the other two off him with a grumble. Ayaka immediately took it as an invitation to leap away to safety whilst Izumo hastily shot off in the opposite direction. If it wasn't a mission, Ko might have found it funny. He frowned at that. Kotetsu was the immature type, so that wasn't a huge shocker from the boisterous guard, but the other two did not share that particular trait. Whatever had them troubled was personal. It wouldn't do, he decided.

Technically as the winner of the spar, by Genma's 'sacred' approval which merely consisted of the man just pointing at him and a general unanimous assumption that he'd won, Ko was awarded a chance to choose the watches. Ko narrowed his eyes at the senbon chewing Jonin. So Genma would leave it up to him to force the two problematic parties to make peace.

His secret mission from the Hyuuga ignored, Ko took being ninja seriously. Whatever differences the pair had they'd best clear it up. It was simple shinobi protocol at this point.

"Shikamaru and I will do the first, Genma and Kotetsu next, Ayaka and Izumo last."

He paired each non-Jonin with a Jonin. So he knew none of them would object. Still, everyone looked a bit uncomfortable, aside from Shikamaru who was looking at him with more relief than Ko was comfortable with receiving. Without any vocal complaints, the others went of to catch some sleep while he and Shikamaru settled on a log in silence. He activated his Byakugan just in case. He didn't think anything would be out there, but after years as a bodyguard for Hinata, old habits died hard.

He really had to figure out what he was going to do. He couldn't just kill her on the way to Suna. This team was too good to leave her unguarded and he'd be caught instantly. He didn't fancy his chances against the lot of them as well. The spar had proved they were dangerous. He had little delusions that had it been three against one, he would have lost in a spectacular way. Genma, he suspected, was much better than the trio when it came to the basics of combat in the field. Shikamaru himself despite his tendencies was the best of his group and had become chuunin very long ago.

Yet, there would also be more guards in Suna too. He would not be able to pull this off subtly even if he wanted to.

She was tough one. Ayaka wasn't going to just roll over and die. If he wanted to defeat her in a battle he'd have to out manouvre her. It was possible, she was only human and a flawed one at that based on her immaturity she'd displayed along with Izumo. If the mock battle proved anything, close combat was her battle to lose. Unfortunately, he was a close range fighter too.

Ko felt like every time he even contemplated a plan he was signing a death warrant for himself. Besides, he didn't even want the girl dead! She and her unusual ways had really made Neji loosen up. Frankly, at one point Ko had been convinced Neji Hyuuga would turn into the second coming of Itachi Uchiha. Did everyone not remember the outcome of the chuunin exams preliminaries? Fair enough, there'd been an invasion to worry about, however nobody could deny the Hyuuga prodigy had a darker side to him. Or at least he used to, before he'd discovered the opposite sex.

Should he tell Ayaka about the elders orders? He wasn't certain that might be enough to spare him. The kazekage was also responsible for her safety. He could be executed on the spot in Suna! A loud snore drew him from his mental monologue as he stared at Shikamaru in disbelief. The younger man was out cold.

"Fucking Nara's, " he groaned before something caught his eye. Instantly alert, he gripped Shikamaru painfully by the shoulder, yanking the boy from his slumber. To his credit, Shikamaru woke instantly and immediately was on guard like any shinobi his senior would be. Perhaps Ko's expression had scared him. Pushing his eyes to the limit, Ko felt nothing was disturbed. Still, it was suspicious. The night was almost too quiet and any tracker knew that it was not a good sign. He may sound paranoid, but instincts told him that there was something there.

"Something is out there, " he says, sure of the conclusion he has come to. Shikamaru glances about. He's wary and Ko's glad for it. Complacent shinobi died young and it seemed both Nara's were far from it.

"Should we tell the other's? "

He shakes his head in response to Shikamaru's query as he strains his gaze. The forest is quiet so on paper he must be mistaken, for he can see nothing unusual in the dark of night. If there was danger though, he wagered it would attack when they were not on high alert. Most likely when they hit the road again, and outside Fire country.

"We warn them on the next shift to careful. I can't be certain it's not a shinobi but if it was a they're not there anymore. " He instructs the younger man, with seriousness etched on his features.

He's impressed with the youngsters ability to concentrate. Shikamaru was also trying to locate whoever his eyes were missing. Unfortunately it didn't help. If someone was there, they do not want to be seen. Even with the others placed on alert, he doubted whoever it was would be so easily revealed. He was the best sensor on this team. If he saw nothing, they would not either. As far as he knew he was this teams closest thing to a half decent sensory type.

"I don't see anything but will let the others know when we wake them up for the next shift, " Shikamaru says and Ko nods in mutual agreement. For his youth, Shikamaru was fairly reasonable. If he would work on his stamina, Shikamaru might even be impressive sight one day commanding a battlefield, or so Ko predicts.

Shikamaru's cousin was correct about one thing, potential needed experience to flourish . The spar earlier had proved that Shikamaru wasn't ready. He wasn't yet a true leader, he didn't know battle like they did, and he was glad that Shikamaru seem to know it too. At least the boy deferred to him, despite him only being a lowly branch family member of his clan. Shikamaru is smart, Ko decides. He cannot see the boy's father making the same decision. The Nara head was a leader since childhood - with war experience under his belt, and he was an obstinate one. It was probably the only reason both Nara's were even on this mission. They did not trust the judgement of their clan head. A dangerous decision for an hear or a spare to make. A lesser leader than Shikaku would consider their rebellion as a major insubordination. A lesser clan would have one, if not both of them dead.

Ko hasn't forgotten there's something out there that also wants the would be Nara heir or heiress dead. Perhaps, he muses, he need only wait. Whatever is in the may just prove to be exactly what he needed. Why stress about doing a job somebody else was ready to do it for you?

Ko liked Ayaka, well enough to not want to kill her. However he also likes being alive. It was a rock and a hard and he knew, by Kami's will, he was stuck.

There would be death in the desert. Exactly who would die, Ko could not guarantee. It may well be his own head on a plate.

* * *

 **SAI**

He crept as close as he dared to the camp. For a body guard squad, this was excessive. Fair enough, the Nara girl had been attacked several times already but he couldn't imagine the Hokage picking this team.

She was meant to have compiled the team herself. So how had she gotten a pair of the villages best guards, a Kage's elite body guard and an elite bodyguard of the Hyuuga clan? Hawk had not anticipated this surely, else he would have sent more agents. Sai was good, but not good enough to get by three Jonin and two Tobekstu Jonin.

As it stood, attacking now would be a kin to suicide on his part. He was only a chuunin himself, although he supposed Danzo would have him entered in the next exams.

He'd have no choice but to make his move on Shikamaru in Suna. He wagered they'd focus more on the girl, leaving the chuunin as easy picking.

His ink mice had eyes on each pair as they went about the camp. The pair with the Hyuuga was the most suspicious of his presence. The second were equally so. The final pair spend the time bickering in an awkward argument, displaying a startling array of emotions Sai couldn't even begin to decipher.

He struggled to understand the emotional stressing in their voices. The woman was awfully upset. The man was equally apologetic. At least that was what he understood. However there was another emotion that lingered, something he thought was pride. The last shift left him with questions. Why did people allow themselves to get bothered by something as arbitrary as emotional distress? It was entirely inappropriate for soldiers of the Leaf to behave like this, or at least that was what he'd always been told.

Emotions were things he often he did not understand. Yet, when he found himself thinking of a certain blonde, Ino, he couldn't help but want to decipher the emotions that flicker across the beautiful face she had. So it was crucial for his research to observe the team and their emotions.

It wasn't easy. Root was not kind to shinobi that prove to want to learn about certain forbidden things. However he checked out a couple books, an ANBU had jokingly recommended out loud in his presence. 'Emotions for dummies'. The librarian had looked at him rather strangely when he checked it out. He'd informed her she was more hideous when she looked at people before getting thrown out. Despite attracting more attention than he'd planned, he couldn't imagine Hawk finding out about his library record.

So he found himself paging through the book, trying understand why the pair in front of head had gone from incredibly awkward to comfortable with each other in the space of a single argument.

They were an interesting lot for the sake of his studies. Even if he had to kill Shikamaru, he hoped a few of the others would be spared. He might observe them again sometime, in order to help himself work exactly the mechanisms of having an emotional capacity.

Perhaps then he might understand why the Yamanaka seems to fascinate him so much. He understands lust, he thinks and while she is beautiful he still finds himself curious about other things. Things that have nothing to do a painting those curious blue of her eyes or sketching her plentiful curves.

He wants to know her mind. He wants to what she enjoys. He wonders what she hates. When he kills her team member in the dunes of Suna, is she fragile enough to break? Or would she vow to kill an assassin?

He has no delusions that the Yamanaka heiress has killed, she's a chuunin after all. It would be impossible to not have taken a life . However he couldn't image those uncalloused hands in the heat of battle.

He finds her curious thing but Root did not do curious.

She's forbidden and he likes that. He could only wish he understood why.

* * *

 **KANKURO**

Nobody in Suna could best his older sister when she was in a bad mood. Even his brother, on the rare occasion, would make himself scarce when the eldest Subaku was in a mood. Unfortunately he was the poor soul, she had decided to unleash he wrath on.

Normally fighting her was an exhilarating experience. Nobody was quite as well-rounded as she was in the desert. She was good strategist and an even better fighter. There were few things in life that his sister didn't excel in. Suna was Temari's playground, more so than it had ever been his own. The very desert, he decides, is Temari's friend. The wind is ravaging and the sun takes its side blending into the harshest of conditions only she could revel in. The wind provides no relief to the sun in Suna. In fact, it carries the heat and Kankuro swears he can feel it in his bones burning down to his core.

Even a blind man could see that the spitting beast of a woman in front of him was at her wit's end. The council had come forth with another proposal for Temari's hand.

A pompous royal ass twice her age was proposed as a possible fiancé. She had opposed it before he and his brother could interject. They had backed her, of course, but the princess was fuming. He could not blame her at the end of the day, for someone as accomplished and royal as her to marry for the wealth was unthinkable. Suna's economic condition aside, even he could realize that his sister's marriage would do little to improve the conditions. The council was naive to think non shinobi royalty would bail them out. They needed missions. They needed new blood. They needed s - rank shinobi. They need to compete with all the lands without resorting to war.

His sister was not a suitable scapegoat, nor a superhero that could save them from themselves. She was a soldier and a princess. They had best respect her as such or it would hopefully be some fossils job to be here as a literal punching bag. As long as it wasn't him next time, he'd be happy.

He knows his sister secret. He knows exactly where she desires to be and who she desires to be with. He doesn't think his younger brother has any idea yet. Perhaps they're fortunate about that. Shikamaru is on his way and he wonders how the boy will react to knowing that Temari was under any pressure to be wed.

He knows that there will be some kind of fighting. If its not between the lovebirds, then of the Council and the one they once called Spider in Konoha.

He doesn't even bother with his puppets. Temari needs the release of something more savage. Now that his brother was stable, it was easy to see that his sister was most volatile of three. Temari no Subaku personified the harshness that was synonymous with being a shinobi of the desert. Not that his brother was particularly great at controlling his temper or being but he made the effort that his sister never would. She was an abrasive woman.

He allowed himself to be pummeled, mostly because he knew someone had to do it and he himself was resilient enough to outlast her. Besides he couldn't really poison his sister even in a spar. Let's face it, his pockets and puppets were coated in that stuff. Who knew what a flesh wound from one of his weapons would do?

She needed the kind of fight that would result in blood, sweat and tears. It wasn't really his cup of tea but he would indulge her this time. It would do no good to just put her in the infirmary just before her beloved arrived anyway.

He was covered in bruises but so too is the desert princess. They breathe heavy, she slumped against her fan and he about ready to fall to his knees. Kankuro can taste blood in his mouth, Temari had clipped his face with the edge of her tessen already. He's struck her strategically though, his sharp blow to her shoulder would make it difficult to swing her heavy tessen about like a club.

Yet, the wind picks up once again and there is a flash of danger in teal eyes as he watches her drop the tessen and raise her fists. It's a salient challenge - _no a plea_ \- for something more carnal than even lust or liquor. She's begging for a fight and nobody can deny the call for battle when one presents it the way Temari does. Kankuro doesn't dare drop to his knees, dare he insult a princess, and instead he leaps at Temari to engage her in aggressive Taijutsu. She will leave bruises on his frame and he's embarrassed to say that even at his best he has not done the same to her.

Kankuro had always favored speed over brute strength when it came to Taijutsu. Temari was his opposite in that regard. Gaara, with his sand had completely forsaken Taijutsu in his youth. He may take the odd lesson from Shira these days, but he was a novice in comparison to the two of them. Baki had trained them both in youth but even as kids, it had been easy to see that Temari had a better grasp of the art.

Not that Kankuro lacked talent in the area. Yet, it was hard to compete with her when he simply disliked Taijutsu to begin with.

It was basic physics, Temari threw her weight behind chakra enhanced blows, which increasing her momentum and resultant force output. He tried to do the same, by increasing the velocity of his blows, thus increasing his momentum and therefore the force output he could pack.

However Temari had always better form and it showed in the results. She's good at this, the raw violence of a fist fight while Kankuro much prefers finesse in his action. Why would he want to touch a sweaty, smelly opponent under normal circumstances? Taijutsu was his last fallback if puppetry, poison and Genjutsu did not work.

Normally he wouldn't use Taijutsu against Temari, but some things in the desert remain a fact. One never denies a princess out for violence and certainly not one that wasn't unwilling to spill blood in the desert.

He could only hope that Shikamaru would have better luck taming the storm that was Temari no Subaku than he did. Else, the blood the desert claimed next may very well be the young Nara heir's.


	48. The Madame

**HIDAN**

He sees of vermilion eyes and chocolate hair when he closes his eyes. That's probably the only reason he'd ever indulge his baser instincts. The hooker beneath him, Arabella, her name was, looks a little like vision of a certain minx that haunts him. He supposed Kakuzu had known that upon picking her out.

Kakuzu's good at picking them, he muses. Kisame's bagged himself a blonde babe with Kakuzu's aid, one that looked ready and willing to do whatever's on Kisame's mind. Kakuzu hadn't bothered fetching anyone for Itachi nor Deidera, the pair were far too busy to notice.

Sasori's always an interesting one. The puppeteer had never opted out of the brothel experience despite lack of traditional anatomy and always took on the same pair of rather androgynous blunette's. Kakuzu of course had known this preference and arranged it with the madame.

If Pein or Tobi knew of the brothel trips, Hidan was fairly certain Kakuzu left if off the books that Konan would on the rarest of occasions, indulge herself in the company of the brothels male hosts. Again, it was an expensive buy and he wondered how Kakuzu kept it quiet.

He had no doubt that whomever Kakuzu had was on the house. Not that Kakuzu ever let them see who his woman or man of the night was. The brothel owner was rather thankful when Kakuzu paid for their endeavors. Fair, they paid quite a bit for their lovers. Kakuzu himself never did though. The old miser had likely sampled the entire place already, Hidan mused. Kakuzu damned well had been alive long enough to be on familiar terms with the madame, a former Kiri kunoichi in her 60's, or so he gaged.

Considering the brothel was an illicit business, that somehow lacked any kind of muscle or guards, he was willing to wager a few of its occupants were former shinobi. Kakuzu's Kiri Madame had likely been a missing ninja, if only based on the way her step was completely silent and her Chakra was almost deliberately brought so low even by civilian standards, he doubted even Kakuzu would easily track her. Yet the miser had never turned away such a challenge and said woman had never run, he had to wonder exactly what she'd provided Kakuzu with to have him leave her be.

She was a stern, heavy set woman covered in facial scars and had surely been no great beauty even in her youth. The madame held no qualities that he, himself, found attractive and he'd often felt the miser had bedded her because there was little doubt she'd have been a cheap pick.

Then again, the man was strangely defensive when it came to the madame. Hidan couldn't help but wonder if she had once been more to him then a mere fuck. However, given that she was far from an aesthetically appealing choice he could not help but question the man's taste.

When he'd asked, Kakuzu had clipped him in the head sternly and had cautioned him harshly.

"Beauty is a curse upon our world. It keeps us from seeing who the real monsters are. "

While Hidan couldn't quite disagree with Kakuzu's words, he'd been not too reluctant when the miser selected Arabella.

She was a surprisingly pretty young thing, expensive enough that Hidan wouldn't dare kill her. The brothel owner may just refuse to service the Akatsuki then and he isn't oblivious that would piss of a certain former Kiri swordsman. Even if the owner may humor his murderous tendencies on the problematic ones, girls like Arabella were cash cows. Kakuzu would hate to have the Akatsuki deemed responsible for the demise of such an asset.

So Hidan got to fuck a pretty girl. One he couldn't sacrifice to the long silent Jashin. One that had, at a glance reminded him of _her._

Yet, Arabella's eyes are a soft pink and her hair was just a shade too dark a brown. Her body, so close to what he'd imagined _hers_ would look like, wasn't that of a kunoichi. There's no muscle there, nor battle wounds. Arabella's hands are gentle on him as she pleasingly writhes against his body, her traditional wine colored Kimono practically falling of her.

She doesn't have the calloused hands of someone that's spilled blood. It makes him angry and he doesn't bother not taking it out on her, brutality for once not just for Jashin's sake.

For her lack of other qualities, the lacking look-alike bears the burden of his ferocity well. In fact Hidan dares admits, he think she enjoys it. A masochist, Kakuzu had called her when they'd paid the brothel owner.

He couldn't imagine Ayaka ever earning such a label. It disgusts him how poor the imitation is in comparison to the real thing.

But Ayaka is a mere myth at this point. Ayaka is in the wind, a ghost of a girl he thought he knew.

And when it came down to it, Arabella was a convenient lay before the Akatsuki set off to destroy - or save - the world.

* * *

 **TSUNADE**

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN HE ISN'T IN THE VILLAGE!?

Contrary to popular belief, Tsunade did not like to raise her voice. Unfortunately, having a chuunin of Danzo's on the loose was beyond careless and Yamato was on the receiving end of her ire.

She had been craftily working around Danzo and the council ever since the Nara incident. Aside from the fact it was a healthy escape from dealing with thoughts of Orochimaru and the daughter they'd had. It wasn't uncalled for either, the ANBU was out of control.

Tsunade was no Sarutobi. When something was broke in the village, she'd fix it. Unfortunately, to fix it she needed time and gather evidence. Waging a war on the shadows is never an easy thing.

Ino's pet project would prove pivotal in deciding whether or not it would be possible to deprogram the shinobi she assumed were in Danzo's command. If root was not disabled, they needed a contingency. Dare she risk a civil war by suddenly offing a portion of the ANBU.

They were a stubborn lot, the ones in TI had already killed themselves in an attempt to prevent them from accessing their thoughts all after seeing a glimpse of the Yamanaka heiress entering the interrogation room, her face set. Ino Yamanaka had not been pleased to say the least. The blonde girl had spat out profanities that someone in the Yamanaka clan was spying in her. Few knew her capabilities in the clan Jutsu were close to her father's. The shinobi wouldn't have offed themselves if they had not known. Even with thier bodies, they were frustratingly enough, nowhere near to identifying them either.

Any documents Shiho had come across were faked, missing or tampered with. The entire cryptology department was under a strict review of all official documents. However given Shikamaru's departure and Shiho busy wedding planing, they were too short staffed to produce quick results.

The entire event had been worrisome. If the Yamanaka and cryptology were compromised, who else was?

Tsunade had been dwelling on it for a while now. ANBU operated on a need to know basis and always had, ever since Tobirama had come up with the notion of special forces.

This left the chain of command sketchy at best. The ANBU heads of departments answered to the Kage and on occasions the village council but each head was the equal of the other. Ergo, they were not equipped to challenge the status quo. Since every ANBU department had a single head, in charge of the team captains and solo operative in their departments, they didn't have to interfere with another unless they borrowed a shinobi from another branch. In addition, each head was required to take on an apprentice upon their 3rd year at the latest. The team captains were responsible for their teams of course. Those teams and the apprentices were responsible for the trainees that came in either via the hunter nin route, or direct recruitment.

The main problem Tsunade had with ANBU was that there wasn't a single person responsible for the entirety of its operations and personnel. Which was probably how this Hawk character had managed to create such a persona there. Nobody knew he should not exist. The departments themselves were so disjoint it wouldn't be difficult to just assume that someone that gave off authority probably had it.

When it came down to it, every faction of the village had a single person in charge. So why had there never been a true ANBU commander?

Considering the village shinobi would be in a state of absolute chaos without Shikaku as lone Jonin commander, she couldn't imagine why Sarutobi had never felt the urge to optimize the ANBU. She was well aware that giving the role to a single person was problematic if that person could be compromised. If Danzo got to them, she'd loose the ANBU in its entirety.

In all honesty, she wanted Yamato to take on the role but he couldn't. The man couldn't word his claims but Tsunade was willing to realize that Danzo had some hold on him that could not be easily removed.

Which would have left her out of options. Until she contemplated Ayaka Nara's situation.

As one of the Hunter Nin programs most successful shinobi, she was a pretty decent all rounder in terms of the shinobi skills the special forces required. In addition she had apprenticed under a head and had been well on her way to that position before Tsunade had pulled her out.

As a Jonin, she didn't really fit the team molds of the existing groupings and Tsunade had no real idea where to place her amongst the ranks. She definitely was not ready to take on Genin, having never even witnessed a chuunin exam nor had the traditional experience in a Team.

Should she become a clan heiress she would dive into politics. Which wasn't really a worry, the girl was good at it on paper. In a position like ANBU commander, such a characteristic would be a necessity.

And the best thing about it all? If Danzo wanted her dead, she wasn't one of his. Fair enough, she'd be throwing a hell of a lot of power the girls way and Shikaku would definitely be pissed but there was really very little reason not to at this point.

Tsunade disliked broken things.

The Leaf would be fixed.

It was only a matter of time.

Now, if only she could give up this damned hat. Yet, alas Kakashi had vanished at the idea of it. She'd not been delirious enough to ask Guy and he was thankfully out of the village. Kurenai had thrown up and Asuma had snorted she should try his nephew. Shikaku had straight up walked out the room with her _best sake_ at the very notion and had dragged the stunned enough to have paused eating Chouza with him. Jiraiya had reversed summoned himself away. Even Shizune had sternly just placed down her paperwork and ignored her. Tonton had been easy to sway but as a non combatant he was not a viable option. Tsume had flat out rejected the idea of paper work. Hiashi had rejected her for the mere reason of being the single parental figure of three rebellious teens. Ebisu fainted and had to be hospitalized. Shibi, by all of Kami's irony, had face palmed and offered her tea instead. Inoichi had politely asked her to allow him to enjoy his medical leave in peace. Anko would have agreed, in Ibiki hadn't pointed out that as a Kage she'd have to dress appropriately. Said Kunoichi was less inclined after that. Ibiki himself declined with slight offense because it was considered unsightly for a Kage to specialize in torture jutsu. Yugao had burst into tears before she could even ask the question. Tenzo had pointed out, once more his invalidity as an option. She'd even brought up the topic to Yoshino, who had coolly responded she was retired.

Danzo of course, followed her around like a Hawk while she searched for a successor. Tsunade could sense him and she was sure he knew it. He wasn't exactly hiding his presence.

Still, he would never make Tsunade's list. The day Danzo was allowed to be a Kage candidate was the day Tsunade herself would allow the village to be obliterated.

It wouldn't happen.

* * *

 **DANZO**

He wasn't naive enough to not be aware of the fact Tsunade was up to something. She'd already made several inquiries via the wood style user for one of his younger agents to be apprenticed under said shinobi. While sacrificing Sai would be fine on paper, his unique skill sets would be hard to replicate. Few of Roots agents had the artistic talents to learn such a technique.

Further, Sai was currently on his way to Suna. A fact he needed to hide from Tsunade. He could only hope the boy could actually kill the _real_ Nara heir. Anyone with half a brain cell could see that Shikaku's boy had already given up his title unofficially. Shikaku himself was really not helping things with his challenge to the girl. It would only serve as a platform for the girl to prove herself a better candidate then Shikamaru. The Nara council, as unorthodox as they were, would back her in an instant.

He hoped Sai would have had the foresight in realizing he meant kill spider when he'd assigned the mission via Fu. Root agents, while effective, were like children too. You had to explain most things explicitly and even then he wasn't sure they quite understood.

A dead Shikamaru might prove problematic in the long run. Yet, he supposed he could maybe frame spider for the death if pressed.

Tsunade was being increasingly secretive this week. He'd followed her drunken attempts at finding a successor and almost sighed in relief at the Shinobi declining. At this rate, despite his age, he was certain the blonde would have no choice but to handover the mantle to him at some point.

It was inevitable.

* * *

 **KAKUZU**

"You're gray haired friend, he's been in love hasn't he?

He follows the madame to her chambers without answering her. He doesn't need to, the madame of this Teahouse knows all. She's been his go to informant for years. As she leads him to her chambers, they gather a few curious whispers from the brothels girls and he couldn't help but muse they were a hideous sight.

He's not niave. His aesthetics are far from the fetching handsome looks of his youth. Takigure had made a monster out of a boy already scarred by the warring clans era.

The madame's Genjutsu is deliberately grotesque and masterfully done. The illusions of scars, age and obesity do little to deter him, in fact he finds her mastery of Genjutsu refreshingly beautiful.

So when the Genjutsu falls he can't help but be taken with her once more. She's still got the scars, remnants of a battle's with Pakura of Suna and an irate Orochimaru respectively. She wears the evidence that she survived as a warning that she shall not be so easily killed. The Madame would be traumatizing an opponent to face for the average Shinobi. Pakura and Orochimaru were easily S-class. He knew Pakura had been a long time rival of hers so he wasn't surprised the late Sand Kunoichi had left a mark on her. He often wondered what she'd done to earn Orochimaru's wrath years ago, but couldn't quite bring himself to query her affairs.

She's not young anymore, but certainly not in her 60's yet. True, she's pushing 50 but she's still got youth in her step. The life on the run has aged her, and wrinkles are set deep in her skin but otherwise he still thinks she's a sight to behold. Her hairs nearly white true, but all Hozuki bare such traits. Her violet eyes are the only things that haven't changed. They shine defiantly at him.

She's not overweight, but muscled like a Shinobi that has never stopped running. He wonders when, if ever she will realise nobodies looking for her.

The rest of the world thinks this Hozuki is dead. He knows because he's helped it to be so.

It had been a pleasant experience, hunting her down given her talents with genjutsu. More so when she'd taken a glance at him and offered triple her bounty to help him fake her death.

"Onna, I have you managed to figure out who was behind that entry? " He knows his priorities and he will not hesitate in getting the information he needs before they move onto pleasantries. There's an amused crinkle in her eye as the kunoichi roles her eyes at him, and fishes out a piece of parchment from her kimono.

" Neh, Anata, is that the way you greet me?" she mocks as she hands it to him. He doesn't reply, instead pulling her by her extended wrist to join him on a fuuton. She relaxes into him as he scans the page.

 _Utatane Koharu_

 _Homura Mitokado_

It's been many years since Kakuzu has blanched this way but he recognizes these names. Students of the second hokage. His wife glances at him curiously as he reminisces. He strokes her fingers through her hair willing her to be patient with him, as she had been all these years.

Utatane had been a medic and tracker in the first Shinobi war. He'd come across the once attractive brunette on rare occassions. As a fellow tracker, she was bizarrely perceptive and had instincts better than most Shinobi. She wasn't really a front line shinobi, but could put up a fight from a distance if needed.

Homura was a fuinjutsu explosives specialist. While he wasn't the kind of shinobi you'd expect to be a powerhouse, it depended entirely on the prep time the man had been given. His mastery of explosive techniques had decimated squads in their entirety. Kakuzu had lost many a nameless comrade to the Konoha shinobi.

He can't imagine how Ayaka has gotten on the nerves if these two enough they'd want her dead. Yet, if they really were Takigakure's informants the Leaf was more fragile than he had thought.

Perhaps Itachi really would have the easiest job of them all.

He crumpled the paper, now giving his full attention to the woman he's now hyperaware he's alone with. It's been 4 months since they've last met and there's a look of urgency in her still striking gaze he's used to seeing.

They've gotten at least 25 years together now with this brothel charade and he's thankful the Uchiha isn inclined towards the bomber or else they might run into problems explaining her genjutsu.

Kakuzu knows it won't last forever. Time goes on, and he is effectively immortal while she is not. Everyday she ages is another past her prime. Everyday is another day closer to death for her.

Not many shinobi get to grow old together, and he knows it should be a blessing. Yet, she's a former kiri kunoichi that had fled before the purges, long past her prime, in a dangerous profession. They are mostly apart, Kakuzu will not have anyone learning of her as being anything else but a release for his baser side.

He has enemies he cannot protect her from.

Kakuzu knew upon that drunken night in Iwa, when he'd wed her that he was doomed to outliving the then younger, flawless kunoichi. Yet, he was an honorable man, he never did let him self indulge in anyone but his spouse since then.

One day he knew might not find her again. Or not find her alive.

He wonders what Hidan would think if he knew of his situation. Yet, the zealot was a young immortal and much newer to the perils of love. Unlike himself, he does not care to live on. Unlike his wife, Ayaka would most likely comply with Hidan's death wish or attempt to at least.

He pitied the girl's poor luck. Anyone, but Hidan would've been a less psychotic match. While he had once tried to kill his wife for monetary gain, he knew that chapter of his life was well over.

Dare he have to waste energy chasing a Genjutsu mistress down again.

He guessed he was lucky the Hozuki woman he'd taken on years ago, much like how Hidan had Ayaka, was nicer than the brunette. Oh, she's still a monster the Hozuki woman, he doesn't doubt that from his wife. Yet, she's never been one towards him and he's okay with that.

So, they'd taken that Iwa vow. Till death do them part. He had been greedy like that binding her beauty and monstrosity to him for the remainder of her lifespan.

For a part of him always knew it's unlikely to be him to die first. For when last had anyone been as kind a soul as to offer him a death before his beloved? He's far too selfish to use his own hand.

He hopes she shall wait for him in death but then curses himself for condemning her to such a thing. He's quite litterally taken all of her time.

They were shinobi. Little, if nothing, was set in stone. Life was fleeting for thier kind and terrifying when they lived beyond thier prime.

So Kakuzu held his woman as she chatted to him now about the months past with enthusiasm because he did not know if this was the last time to hear her voice, stern as it was. Much like chess, sometimes life ended in a stalemate. Kakuzu could only hope Hidan, for all his idiocity, got what he wanted. The zealot was growing on him.

For to live an immortal life and watch a flower, even one that was carnivorous, wither away was a painful thing. Kakuzu wouldn't wish it upon another soul. One that he himself understood all to well.

* * *


	49. To be thankful

**KIBA**

He's sitting at the dining room contemplating an array of wedding venues that are willing to accommodate the Inuzuka clan - all exorbitantly priced- when he hears his mother arrive home. Shiho's been summoned by the Hokage for some reason, so she had to leave after selecting a cake, raspberry cream, for the reception. The cake is one of the cheapest, Kiba notices but says nothing, knowing full well Shiho wouldn't want him to bring it up. She's been talking this lack of dowry thing a bit too sensitively, he thinks.

She isn't like him. Doesn't have the wealth of being the child of a clan head at her fingertips. It was a humbling thing, planning a wedding without access to the Inuzuka funds. Kiba had never known he'd been privileged before now.

He's been, dare he jinx the situation, enjoying dating his fiancee. Understanding her and knowing her - these were things he'd never quite expected to be on his list of priorities yet here they were. His inner beast practically screaming at him to claim her and know her in every way, body mind and soul.

It's weird, he muses, how he knew so little of Shiho growing up despite her days glued to Hana's side and now, after his few days of dating he fancied himself an expert on her mannerisms.

He didn't know all her secrets yet, but kami he could tell something was up with the girl. Perhaps she missed her apartment? It was the last she had of her late mother, or so she had said. Maybe he ought to offer to move in with her? Tsume wouldn't take kindly to him in the red light district but her hands would be tied. It's not like he was the Inuzuka heir.

Speaking of the Inuzuka head, she was walking towards him, looking surprisingly more standoffish then she ought to. There's a feral glint in Tsume's eye, and the Inuzuka in him raises instinctively. His eyes drift to the parchment she all but thrusts at him, while Akamaru looks on curiously.

His mind buffers as he processes the information he is seeing. Jaw slack he stares in disbelief at the Matriarch of his clan before sprinting out the front door, Akamaru hot on his heels.

Logically he knows he shouldn't be receiving this invite because he hasn't earned it. Not in missions and certainly not in skill. He knows somehow, someone is pulling strings to get this nomination. Surely, Kurenai will know.

He needs to find his sensei.

 _He needs to be Jonin._

 _He needs to fight_.

* * *

 **SHINO**

He's been busy, apprenticing Iruka for some time now. It's not typically the work an heir is meant to follow but he finally feels like he has found his calling. Kiba finds it odd, but then Shino point out that Kiba's been doing an awful lot of guard rounds with the Konoha police force lately as dismal as the prospects in that faction had been since the fall of the Uchiha. Then again, Kiba isn't an heir and Tsume would let him get away with whatever these days.

Aside from locking her son into an early yet surprisingly promising engagement, Tsume had been pretty easy on Kiba.

Shino hadn't fared as well with Shibi.

Shino had always been too weird, too dangerous to be around kids according to his clan. Time and time again Shibi and the elders had drilled it into him that educators were not clan heads. That Jonin couldn't be academy instructors.

He thinks this is utter blasphemy, as the crazy woman in front of him who'd become Jonin 6 months prior, Anko, teaches a class of 6 year old potential shinobi how to aim. Shibi and the Aburame elder council are too one dimensional in their thoughts. He secretly wished he had the time to pursuit the rank and prove everyone wrong while he apprenticed teaching. However, he needed at least another year to complete his apprenticeship. He couldn't bare to ask Kurenai for such a recommendation after neglecting her tutelage for some time now.

The manic snake woman, as terrifying as she is informative, dismisses the class who applaud her efforts in mild terror before joining his side. He blinks having zoned out slightly. He does it often these days. Shino wanted to teach one day, but sometimes it seemed boring in comparison to the adrenaline rush of battle.

The coy smile on her face doesn't bode well and for a moment, he wishes Iruka hadn't left him alone with the scary substitute teacher. Why had Iruka taken such a sudden sabbatical? He understood Naruto was back but still! Leaving only Anko and him in charge was so stressful.

He panics when she nears him. There's always a predatory look in her eyes and the kikaichu are uncomfortable beneath his skin at the sheer amusement on her face. He hasn't forgotten who she is. He hasn't forgotten why she's hated. He isn't oblivious to the fact her snakes scare the kids almost as much as he is certain his own Kikaichu scare them. He hasn't forgotten why she had to wait years for a promotion she deserved.

He sees his future and himself in her, despite being her opposite, and it scares him. She was beautiful, fierce and intelligent. Yet, it was all nothing in comparison to being the heir of a Leaf villain's legacy. Such resilience was a thing to be both admired and feared.

She throws a projectile his way and he catches it, fluidly he might add, and gives the offending kunai a glance.

The parchment on it bares his name. The kikaichu in him buzz happily as he reads on, his body numb in shock.

Like a robot, he shifts around marching off towards his sensei's place. Underneath his skin the buzzing increases, loud enough to drown out most noises. Still, vaguely he notes and ignores Anko's cackle of amusement in the background as he makes his way towards the streets. Surely Kurenai would know who was responsible for bestowing this honour upon him.

 _Shino had to know._

 _Either to thank them._

 _Or to curse them._

There wasn't enough time in his schedule to fight for this rank and everyone knew it.

 _Yet, he wanted it so bad that the kikaichu in him knew that he was already fighting to win._

* * *

 **HINATA**

She was ashamed of herself. After all the time Naruto was away all she has to show for it was a measly chuunin rank bestowed upon her under extraordinary circumstances in Suna.

How dare she greet him like the others did, knowing she did not actually earn this rank? Times are changing. Kiba, Shino and Neji have found their niche in the village. Even Hanabi embodies the title of heiress now with full Hyuuga poise.

Kami, she's glad her sister wears the title. Yet still, she wants to make her destiny now that she'd shed the weight of her title. Find if not fight her fate, as Neji would say.

Her father looks at her less sternly but without hope when they spar now and Hinata wants so bad to prove that she is a fighter. Not just some sweet innocent thing anymore. She doesn't want to be the fragile pampered Hyuuga maiden. She doesn't want to be a career chuunin. Yet, she doesn't yet have the skills nor reputation to pull of requesting a promotion.

Yet, Hinata has never felt more alive then that time she fought Neji and earned Naruto's praise. Never had she felt stronger then when she was out on the battlefield fighting with her comrades.

Have they forgotten the stance she'd made as her cousin tried to kill her in front of all her peers? Do they not remember the ferocity of which she fought? When she was choking on her own blood as her heart gave out, did they think her a mere fragile princess?

Or did they realise that she had fought the Hyuuga prodigy.

Did they realise that she, in her potential last dying gasps had finally tasted what it meant to be alive?

Did the not see her ninja way?

 _She wants to_ **fight.**

 _She's an asset._

 _The Hyuuga in her is a warrior._

So when the call for participate - _fight_ \- for a shinobi's highest glory is delivered to her by servant, Hinata smiles.

She should be seeing Kurenai soon, if only to find out who to thank. Who was she to question their motives?

It certainly wasn't the responsibility of a discarded heiress.

Hanabi was the princess now, after all.

* * *

 **TENTEN**

Of all the things she could've bet having been on the parchment she saw Neji leave behind beside her while she feigned sleep, she would've never guessed this.

Neji, for all his skill never did notice anything when his Byakugan was deactivated. Pity he'd underestimated Tenten's acting skills so thoroughly. The poor boy should know, most if not all Kunoichi knew how to act. Feigning sleep was one of the easiest things to do anyway. One's body was a weapon, a tool, and Tenten knew tools way to well to let such a fine blade dull when it came to the subtler arts.

She imagined, at first, a love note and cringed inwardly at the idea of dealing with an betrothed man's fragile feelings. Then she dismissed the idea. Neji knew her well enough not to do that.

Not that the notion of such a forbidden romance wasn't exciting, but deep down she knew the Hyuuga prodigies heart was never hers to own. Lease maybe, a small space here or there, but ownership? Neji would never concede to her. Nor her to him, should she be honest. Such was their fates at the end of it all.

So it was certainly not a love note. Reality would never quite warp that much. For Neji did adore his partner, no fool could deny that and Tenten had never truly wanted to be for him, what Ayaka really was.

For a moment she mused it was an invite to train with Gai or Lee. Who else would Neji wake up at such an hour for? One of the pair was likely guarding the Dyaimo at his quarters and the other would be training nearby. Tenten mused she might as well join them. Maybe after a quick dip in the onsen.

There was nothing that got Tenten going quite like a fight with her fellow shinobi. Well, maybe a few other things got her going but that was more to do with her endless libido. Less so with her innate desire to fight the boys and win.

And Tenten did win. Both in the battlefield and in bed.

As a Kunoichi partnered with Gai, Lee and Neji she'd had her fair share of losses in spars. This was true, and she wouldn't deny on paper she was the weakest link of her team during spars.

Then again, she couldn't fight them. Not for real. Not like the way she did when she fought to kill.

A real fight, with a weapons mistress meant seeing how few moves it took to take out a person in battle. It meant no fancy moves or Chakra manipulation. Plain and simple it was accuracy and attention to detail. The boys knew this and rarely asked her to their Taijutsu free for all's. If Tenten was serious, she knew that blind spot Neji had. She knew that Lee guarded a little too much on his left being right handed. She knew Gai was easily to distract with flashy attacks and less likely to notice something a little more finessed.

They were quirks the enemy would never see but Tenten paid attention to body language. She noticed ever bad arm, every tired step, every bruised rib and fractured finger. To hit a moving target with the kind of accuracy she had? You needed to have a gift at noticing body language. That or kinetic vision.

Tenten has both.

The boys didn't like it when she exposed thier flaws like that while they perfected an art she was merely mediocre at. The early morning spars were rarely her playground. It was male bonding time, plain and simple. Yet it was nice if they'd asked. It had been a while.

So she wasn't prepared when she flipped open the note, only to find that what she'd been invited to wasn't the testosterone packed slug-fest she imagined. Nor was it a confession of undying love.

It was just a mere invite to a _fight that Tenten never thought she'd be in._

Maybe she should spar more with Gai these days. Surely then she would know who was really behind this. Neji wasn't the type to make this recommendation and Gai often coddled her.

She'd have to thank whichever soul had seen her potential. Of course it wasn't that simple and Tenten was no fool that there was something sketchy going on. Yet, if it worked in her favour, who was she to argue it?

* * *

 **SAI**

He had been about to ambush the Nara heir when they group had been attacked by bandits when the hawk distracted him.

It was certainly a messenger hawk, and headed straight to him. In his 5 seconds of puzzlement as he snatched the scroll, he noticed the senbon welder had already killed the groups attackers.

His plan was ruined then. Sai wasn't certain why he let out a breath at the notion. Was this what it meant to be nervous? He'd felt something similar when he'd first caught the attention of the Yamanaka heiress.

With a feeling Sai couldn't quite place he ripped open the scroll with more force than he usually did scanning the contents.

The neat looped writing of Fu's reminded him to kill the Nara heir, much to his puzzlement.

Had they felt he'd forget his mission? That was odd. The distraction had ironically killed his chance of discreetly killing the male Nara.

A further note indicated that Hawk would have him apprentice another ANBU.

For what purpose?

 _To fight as a Shinobi representative of Root._

Sai supposed that was something he could do. Maybe his new instructor would let him know what exactly that meant though.

He wondered who he had to thank for the opportunity. Sure, he felt as if it was his time, but to receive a notice via hawk? It was far from protocol.

Not that Sai found protocol of much interest of late.

* * *

 **CHOUJI**

Contrary to popular belief, Chouji isn't as soft as everyone thinks he is. Sure, he doesn't like violence but he's a shinobi. He knows his duty.

Ino and Shikamaru don't see him that way. He sees it on missions, the way they take all the kills to save his sensitive nature even when it puts them in a more dangerous situation.

Chouji is easy going, but he still has his pride. Out of the three of them, he knows he has the best mastery of his clan technique. Ino's stretched herself thin between medical ninjutsu and apprenticing as a head hunter to master every Yamanaka technique. Shikamaru wasn't even bothered to learn more than what was required of him.

It irked him to know they didn't trust him. Even Asuma coddles him from time to time, by swiping up the kills his team mates miss. Chouji has killed before they forget, as a Genin he'd killed before them.

He'd killed before any of the Rookie 9. Jorobo his name was. It still haunts him on occasion that a Genin like himself was forced to kill in the name of rescuing Sasuke Uchiha.

He knows they don't think he's Jonin material yet, but dammit he's earned the right to be respected at least as a team member. Chouji grinds his teeth, uncharacteristically angry as he tunes out his father's snacking while talking. He's upset he isn't being taken seriously.

His father finishes his excited speech handing him the file he was holding. Chouji sighs realising it was probably more clan paperwork - being an heir, dare he steal Shikamaru's words was a drag.

He glances at it and frowns at the Jonin commanders seal. Surely it couldn't be? With trembling hands he breaks it, aware of his father's excited gaze upon him.

What he saw rendered him speechless.

Since he knew his team would never think he was ready for this, it was surely a lie. Yet, if it wasn't, surely Asuma would know who he could thank.

* * *

 **SAKURA**

Kakashi Hatake showing up on time to a spar was enough to convince her she was trapped in a Genjutsu. After several attempts to release said Genjutsu and failing, she made to stab her thigh with a kunai only to have the copy nin stop her.

"Neh, Sakura-chan calm down. Hokage-sama wanted me to pass something along to you since she's busy."

Kakashi hands her a crumpled note, already opened and read no doubt, while she glances at him dubiously. Kakashi has a strong resemblance to the late white fang Sakura has occasionally glimpsed in the Shinobi war records, so much so she is certain they they would mistaken for each other should his father be alive. Kakashi's usual hairdo of his spiky silver hair oriented to his left-side is unusually messy, while his dark grey-black eyes are harder than usual and typically a relaxed and lazy expression was gone despite his tone.

The entire situation is bizarre. While he was still her sensei, there was little doubt that Kakashi rarely took time to spar with her these days if ever. Sakura was half expecting the meet up to involve Naruto but there was no sign of the blonde. What could be so important anyway that Tsunade had Kakashi hand it to her? She was only a chuunin after all. Surely any official correspondence could wait until Tsunade was free.

Sakura was a good kunoichi but she was stagnated. With no official team she had few missions. Which left her unable to advance in rank. So no crucial correspondence was applicable to her at present. Certainly none that require the Sharingan no Kakashi to deliver them.

Yet, when she saw what the crumpled paper said, her heart raced. With more force than Kakashi could restrain, despite the swiftness if his reaction, she buried the kunai in her thigh.

The words didn't change despite the sudden pain and scent of blood in the air. Completely gobsmacked,while Kakashi face-palmed in equal disbelief, she turned to him in determination, uncaring of the crimson liquid seeping through her tights from the weeping wound still wedged open with her steel.

Sakura didn't care.

As a Kage's apprentice she knows when something is fishy. This isn't Kakashi's nor Tsunade's idea.

And Sakura was determined to find out exactly who's it was.

She's grateful, but Sakura Haruno was no fool.

* * *

 **SHIHO**

White noise is all she hears as she stumbles from Tsunade's office, stunned by the hand she's been dealt. The invite Jiraiya apologetically has handed her is gripped firmly in her fist.

Instinctively, she knows exactly who to thank for the current predicament she's in.

Shiho's quite comfortable as a career chuunin. She's never quite desired a promotion. She likes being a paper ninja even though she knew saboteurs and trap specialists were scarce amongst modern shinobi. For good reason, they were usually amongst the first to die if a plan went awry! Few had been tested for higher ranks in years and most that existed now in the upper tier were war veterans.

She was happy watching Hana and Ayaka from afar, a wallflower amongst and heiress and a seductress. She was always happy, being the less sinister piece in the trio. Yet, was she really? Jiraiya had explained his theory behind Orochimaru's invasion. Could there really be a madman getting all paternal somewhere out there while her biological mother sat there and basically threatened to have her dubbed her a Senju heiress.

Shinobi politics.

It was the kind of life her late mother-real mother, had wanted for her after all. Yet, even that might not be real. Tsunade had said she'd requested Orochimaru make use of genjutsu to manipulate a prostitute into caring for her, _loving her._

It was a genjutsu Sarutobi would never dare try to break. Not while he was set on hiding Shiho in plain sight.

Apparently, the powers that be were aligning for that to change. While she had little doubt a red eyed troublemaker had instigated this, she knew Tsunade imagined her a Senju heir and all heirs had to be Jonin to ever rightfully claim their titles without challenge. The thought appalled her slightly that the Kage had any concern for this, given the woman's lack of maternal instincts.

Then again, who cared about familial bonds when genes were so critical. As an apparent descendent of the Senju and Uzumaki, she had little doubt that her blood had value Tsunade could not ignore. As the spawn of Orochimaru, she had a host of enemies in the Leaf. Thus, the claim as Senju heir was put on the table, should she claim a promotion as a protection.

Shiho wasn't sure if she was angry or enthused by the decision.

But maybe if she played her cards right and by some miracle everyone else had a bad day she might be able to help Kiba with some bills. Hopefully bills paid without her paying him a dowry as a Senju daughter.

A promotion would come in handy, but at what cost? If she claimed a title like Jonin, would it be the only thing she claimed?

Shiho could only shudder in apprehension at the very idea.

* * *

 **INO**

The first thing she noticed when she got home, after thoroughly investigating the Yamanaka clan family tree in Konoha's missive rooms - a frustrating task given her chuunin status gave her limited access - was the familiar smell of smoke. Frowning, about why Asuma was sitting on the Yamanaka porch, she approach cautiously. She really hoped Kurenai hadn't kicked him out. Not that she didn't care for the man, but now was definitely not the best time.

Asuma was acting odd, even by her standards by coming here.

There's a weird looking scroll on a chess set by his side. The game, a homage to her sensei knowing her preferences at board gamer while similar to Shikamaru's weren't quite the same. It makes her smile despite the strangeness of the situation.

She sits down next to him cautiously, looking at the board. Asuma's battling himself. It looks like a stale mate to Ino, but then again she's never had Ayaka's flare for chess. Asuma's face is defeated and she wonders what the significance of the chess set is.

It's no lie that outwardly Ino is shallow, yet in reality she's deep. Asuma's exactly like her in that regard. Nothing he does is without meaning. She wonders if he's at a stalemate in life, much like her.

They are always the same but different she muses. At her age, Asuma was rebelling against his family. Now, Ino was all but ready to interrogate every member of hers. There was a natural born instinct to question authority there. Yet, there was only so much a mere chuunin could do with limited resources and Asuma, for his rank, was only a spare in the Sarutobi clan.

She picks up the scroll laid between the remaining pieces, ripping it open without hesitation. Asuma raises a brow at the enthusiasm but says nothing, opting to merely enjoy his smoke.

Her gasp of surprise is the only sound she makes as she shoots her sensei a grateful look. The man puffs unhappily but offers her a soft congratulatory nod anyway.

He isn't responsible for this, she knows he wouldn't nominate her given the current circumstances. Still, whoever pulled this off would've had to get by Asuma, surely. There were very few people Ino knew that could manipulate anyone, never mind her rebellious sensei that way. In fact, Ino could narrow it down to two people, both probably in Suna already.

Ino couldn't help but be grateful that the two had conjured this opportunity. Sure, she was curious about why. Yet, a promotion? Surely her own ends justified the means enough already?

Or so she hoped.

* * *

 **KOTETSU**

He isn't at all surprised when upon arrival to Suna, Genma shoves a slip of parchment in his hand before dragging off Izumo. There's a private discussion there needed to be had about what went down between Izumo and Ayaka. He is aware he isn't as emotionally well rounded to adequately handle Izumo's sensitivity about the whole situation nor, is he unbiased or innocent about how the situation came to be.

All had been fair in love and war after all and Kotetsu had always been a tad greedy. Even in youth, he could not loose Izumo. Not to anyone. Not even for the happiness a girl he would kill for. The fact that he'd deliberately egged Izumo on with a plot he knew would never work was enough evidence about how much he liked to win. He hadn't been prepared for the severity of the consequences. Yet, still he'd won in the end by his standards. So he had never been ungrateful for the victory despite his halted career.

The sand siblings have taken Ayaka and Shikamaru off their hands, promising that they'd all coordinate duties in the morning. The trio are serious, and a Kage's guarantee is absolute. He doesn't miss the way the Suna princess stares down Shikamaru nor the way the Puppeteer sizes up Ayaka.

It's two completely different looks, but ones that would be worrying no doubt in the near future. Still, he doesn't doubt the Nara brats are safe, dare he call either a brat.

He's glad Suna's taking things seriously. After the long trip to Suna none of them are at their optimum. Suna taking over while they rested was for the best. Ko and Ayaka are the exception, both being apparent stamina freaks but even they must be tired, despite the impossible spring in their steps.

He was hoping to get a moment or two tonight with Izumo alone but seeing his partner was yet to return, he was left to contemplate the exactly why he'd received such an invite.

The entire mission has been a strange and obscure one. He knew full well they normally would never have been a team Tsunade would send so there was definitely something going on beneath the surface. If there weren't any underhanded dealings between Genma and Ayaka he would've been surprised.

The pretty invite, to something long overdue made him raise his brows. He wasn't ungrateful for the opportunity but looking at the little brat he knew she wouldn't have done this without gaining something out of it. Nara's held impressive grudges and neither Ayaka nor Shikaku were likely to show mercy on a whim.

She was an impressive Kunoichi really. An over achiever in a clan of geniuses. A tactician that ought not to be underestimated. He and Izumo had crossed her once, albeit idiotically and had paid the price.

Kotetsu had never realised how much loosing the opportunity for a promotion would hurt.

Izumo handled it well. But then again he was the mature and content one.

Kotetsu knew the opportunity he was getting wasn't for free. He may not know the cost yet nor who would actually pay of this debt, but he was grateful nonetheless.

If he had Izumo by his side, he'd take on the brats unknown wager gratefully.

After all, the potential gains would be worth it.

* * *

 **LEE**

People had a tendency to underestimate him. Few people in life had underestimated him quite as intensely as his male teammate has. If anyone had told Lee as a Genin that one day he'd be bear hugging the usually stoic in their mid morning spar, a scroll discarded on the ground he would have thought them deluded. Neji was turning a delightful shade of red as he tried to shrug off the physically stronger chuunin.

Oh, he knew Neji wasn't entirely responsible for this honour, but until Lee knew who the actual culprit was - even he knew Gai wouldn't have suggested it without discussion first- it was still a golden opportunity to embarrass the Hyuuga prodigy while he all but wailed about maintaining a professional image.

Lee tended to make the most of his opportunities.

* * *

 **IZUMO**

Few things stun Izumo much these days. Genma shoving Kotetsu off in one direction and stopping Izumo from a good night's rest in Kotetsu's willing arms by dragging him to his own quarters was one of them.

Izumo wasn't worried that Genma would do untoward. The man's girlfriend was terrifying enough that he knew Genma would never cheat, never-mind with a ward. Still, it was an odd move nevertheless. Genma's raised him and Kotetsu together. They've never been apart really nor had they been separated by the senbon chewer. Genma was basically an older brother/parent at this point.

Yet, Kotetsu is impulsive and always impairs Izumo's logical side so when he realizes what is being waved in his face he understands. Genma, for all his quirks truly gets it.

Outside of Ayaka, he's the only one that truly sees him and Kotetsu as what they actually are. Two _individuals_ that compliment each other extremely well. Too many people regard them as a singular entity, despite their very different personalities.

He knows Kotetsu has likely received a similar offer. He knows his partner would get enthusiastic. Under normal circumstances he would feed of that energy and be equally excited, in appearance at least.

Right now? He is fucking _terrified._ He knows Genma knows it too.

The senbon chewer is gazing at him silently, assessing the situation. Probably prepared to take back the slip of parchment and destroy it on a whim if Izumo reacted wrong. It warms his heart slightly.

The last time he'd wanted this, Izumo had almost lost his career. Shikaku had almost had his head on a platter. He had lost a friend. Kotetsu had spent solid years doing missions and guard duty he had felt boring, despite Izumo's own fondness for them.

However, he had wanted this paper all those years ago. By Kotetsu's careers sake and by Ayaka's reputation as his victim, he could never dare reject this. Deep down he knew even if Genma ripped it up and he pretended not to get one, those two would know.

It was the flawless manipulation really. Offer him that which he'd already given up on. An opportunity he didn't have the audacity to refuse, given his pass transgressions.

Aside from that, Kotetsu would quite literally die to be Jonin. Yet, he knew that his partner would never do the exams without him. Izumo couldn't refuse. Not if he didn't want to hate himself forever.

He had thought having it out with Ayaka on their watch would've been the end of it all. Perhaps, that was true and the feud was indeed over.

Yet, it wasn't going to come free.

He doesn't want to be Jonin.

Yet, he is pretty certain he needs to be.

In order for more then one debt to be paid in full.

And Izumo knew exactly who to thank for that. Shikaku really had to stop underestimating that girl. She was becoming more sinister by the day.

Fuck it all, was it too late to decide he _hated her?_

* * *

 **SHIKAMARU**

Everyone is given rooms in the sand siblings home, large as it was. Ayaka had shot him a pointed look to behave as she is escorted to her own quarters down the hall, by a grinning Kankuro.

He's sure Kankuro isn't looking at Ayaka with lust, but he can't quite place the emotion. Ayaka for her part, is surely faking her obliviousness - Shikamaru would literally shave off his ponytail should that be wrong. They appear a puzzling pair, slinking off and somehow both subtlety guarding each other's weak spots on instinct with their body language. Not even he and his team were that in sync. It was weird how so few of their movements were wasted.

He doesn't quite understand their relationship and by Temari's frown he realises she finds it vexing too. Still, neither of them question it as Temari leads him to his chambers. Or rather drags him there and keeps him there.

It's nearly 2 hours later when he feels a familiar Chakra outside the room. Temari doesn't stir, and for once he's glad she's no great sensor. He'd rather not have his cousin knowing he's already risking it all.

He glances at the desert princess, her blonde hair in disarray as she snored slightly, clad in only his T-shirt before swallowing a groan. He didn't even want to try and figure out where the troublesome woman had thrown her clothes this time mid make out. He sincerely hoped it wasn't hanging from the ceiling fan again. He somehow always ended up being the one to have to gather it up.

He had been trying to behave, truthfully. Yet, who could say no to Temari no Subaku in all honesty? The woman was just as beautiful as she was terrifying. If Shikamaru knew how to reject her advances, he wouldn't have half his problems right now. Not that he wanted to reject them.

At least he still has his pants. Dressing halfway, he slips out the room, eyes quickly adjusting to the dim light. She's in ANBU gear, minus the mask which is alarming enough as she tosses him a scroll, then winks.

He catches it without thinking, still staring her down. He's never seen her like this really. The ANBU tattoo was visible for once on her shoulder without her usual henge on it. Her brown hair was slicked back and pulled into a tight fishtail braid, no doubt laced with ninja wire. The black gear and armour, he realise show wear that comes with use. The sword she loves so much is secured to her back instead of her side.

In the dim light he realises, she's removed the bandages from her hands and arms. He senses Kankuro down the hall and is about to protest the idiocy he knows is about to go down, before they both vanish.

He finds himself cursing ANBU and their tricks. Did neither of them realise someone was trying to kill her? Or what it may look like if the Kazekage's older playboy brother was sneaking up with a recently betrothed seductress?

Frustrated, he unwraps the scroll, squinting at the words upon it in the dim light and then chokes, temporarily forgetting the escapades of Ayaka and Kankuro.

He's been expecting this. Yet, not before negotiations with Suna. Certainly, not before she faced of with Shikaku.

He can't imagine how she's pulled this off. It wasn't something Asuma had been willing to sign, even if the Nara council threw a tantrum his way.

Shikamaru is grateful and perhaps that's why he tells neither Gaara nor Genma of the, assumed violent, night-time activities between a Nara princess and the puppeteer prince.

After all, he did need her to work her magic at Suna too, and he had his own princess to worry about.


	50. Targets in the sand

**[A/N: I'm hoping everyone is well given what is happening in the world today, Covid-19 wise, you can skip this and head straight on to the chapter if Author notes bore you. I have lots of followers from all over the world so I wanted to let you guys know all is well with me despite my less frequent updates.**

 **My country is in lock down level 5 until 1st May. We will be in level 4 afterward. I'm currently displaced between provinces, or states as some of you would call them. I likely cannot travel back to my apartment until we reach level 2. This paired with my thesis and other pro bono projects have left me really strained with my time.**

 **Anyway, this chapters a product of writers block, stress and exhaustion so it's not to the quality I would've liked. I am still looking for a beta, if anyone is interested.**

 **I've had a few questions about how long I plan this fic to be, and honestly it's going to be lengthy.]**

 **KANKURO**

"You know, I knew you would be hot but I didn't think you would try to set me on fire," Kankuro groaned. Gaara's personal training room was empty right now, and luckily so. The venue was full of battle debris from numerous training spars between the sand siblings that hopefully nobody would think twice about the new scorch marks.

The equally singed kunoichi was sprawled on the lightly cratered ground, chest heaving in exhaustion. Kankuro eyed her grudgingly, his eyes lingering on where his Chakra strings had dug into her flesh. Spider had been his favorite ANBU partner during the whole reconciliation program. Her flair for decapitation had stood out to him. As had her rudimentary knowledge of both poison and antidotes she had displayed later in their partnering. As head hunters, they'd paired up often in their early days and less so as the years past.

When she'd specialized in seduction and him in subterfuge, he had known their paths would cross less often unless it came down to dealing with a difficult party. Both Sand and Leaf had fortunately a few of these over the years.

As was norm for ANBU, they'd used henge whenever their masks were removed to alter their appearance. Spider should have never known his identity under normal circumstances.

One particular missing Rock nin they'd been after had specialized in the rock bullet jutsu. His mask had shattered upon the impact, bullet thankfully just grazing his face. In his shock he hadn't remembered the henge when he'd laced Chakra strings - all the 10 that he could conjure - around the man dragging him down, all while nursing a sprained ankle. It had taken everything the he had to keep the other man still, as the still masked kunoichi had beheaded him and then burnt the body.

So while he was aware Spider probably had guessed his identity - he is no stranger to bingo books as one of the Subaku bloodline - he had no idea who she was despite the series of missions they'd undertaken over the years.

It had irked him so over the years. He found no sign of her in Suna's Bingo books at all for years. Nobody he knew that could've possibly been Spider at least. He hadn't a clue who she could have been but nor would he have guessed correctly under any circumstances.

Ayaka Nara, Shikamaru's cousin? Adoptive Sister? Childhood nemesis? Those details were all in the grey area now.

She didn't fight with clan jutsu, which was common for ANBU he supposed, but like a front line warrior. He had half expected her to be a brawny brute of a woman when the illusion fell away. Hell, he often figured she might not even be a woman biologically.

Much to his surprise the woman was attractive under all the henge. Tall, brunette and gorgeous, he couldn't deny that she would gather attention during the talks Gaara was hosting. How Neji of all shinobi, had landed this babe? Kankuro would have to find out.

Still she was as pretty as a desert lily and that would be something he needed to fix and fast. After all, the lilies died first when exposed to the harsher elements of Suna.

A box of ostentatious hair dye - perhaps blonde - and contacts - maybe blue - would serve well in this context. He didn't want to rely on henge or Genjutsu since it could fall away if one lost focus in battle or training. The harder thing would be to hide her attractiveness. She exuded it in her walk, talk and even smile. She'd have many a shinobi's eye on her within a day. Even with all the make up in the world, Kankuro couldn't just camouflage raw sex appeal like hers.

It would make his job of guarding her all the more difficult. Woman like Ayaka Nara practically commanded the spotlight. It didn't help that she was a betrothed woman too. He would have to thread carefully dare he offend the Hyuuga bodyguard that had accompanied her from the Leaf.

His eyes drifted back to the woman. He has found it daunting when she had ripped of her bandages and demanded a place to try to use Katon jutsu. His eyes had lingered in the scarred arms - a sight so horrid he actually contemplated dragging her off to their own healers to conceal the superficial wounds. Tsunade had included a brief description of the surgery the girl had undergone. While intriguing, the concept the Yamanaka heiress had come up with, he saw no notes of how they had tried to treat any superficial wounds.

What a strange decision, considering her former ANBU specialty. Scars were to identifiable a thing to risk in a shinobi who may often need skin on display. No matter how good one's henge was, it was still difficult to conceal scars and tattoos, which was why as much as possible, skin was preferred to be unmarked with the exception of ANBU branding. He wondered if the Leaf had any particular reason to want Spider out the shadows. It was idiocy if that were the case. She was good. Better then most ANBU he had met in his lifetime anyway.

"Look puppet boy, this is all very new to me. I'm literally blasting Katon Chakra out my Tenketsu without using Jutsu, " the brunette complained. Kankuro shot her an exasperated look. She had asked for this.

He had suspected that she wouldn't dare spar with him when they'd sought to test out her Katon Jutsu. Had she any knowledge of Temari and Shikamaru's circumstances and the role she as an active Jonin, the minute she set foot in Suna she would be wary. It may be a smart move to not let him know her skills.

Instead she had practically turned into a human flamethrower, after some small talk about her condition and had demanded to train the new skills. Despite the lateness of the hour he gave in.

It wasn't a spar as much as it was target practice. Kankuro hadn't tried to get any blows in. Rather, he just tried to avoid what she was throwing out. Largely uncontrollable blasts of Katon based Chakra were not something he was unfamiliar with. Usually, Spider had been odd in the sense she had only stuck to basic ones that could be manipulated with one hand, another unusual talent he'd taken note on. It wasn't something unheard off in Suna. He could name at least two Shinobi that fared okay with one handed seals, however they were far beyond their prime and honestly probably considered the skill a simple parlor trick. Still, she was good at it. He wondered why she knew the skill even. At her age and skill level, one usually didn't bother with such low grade jutsu. Perhaps a past injury had made it necessary he mused. Conjecture aside, it was an unusual and not favored skill that would surely gain both admiration and disdain in equal magnitudes.

However, this time there were no seals at all and _kami that was terrifying_. Kankuro had no idea what the woman's Chakra reserves were like, but were it him putting that out he'd be dangerously close to having a case of severe Chakra depletion. The reasons shinobi used seals was because forcing Chakra out of one's tenketsu could be painful and dangerous. One couldn't control one's tenketsu points nor regulate how much Chakra was being directed. If your reserves were low, it could prove fatal. It was almost a taboo thing to even try. Sure, Gaara could get away with it but he was a Kage now, and even before that a jinchuuriki. He hadn't anticipated that anyone, never mind a regular Leaf kunoichi, would ever try it.

Sure, he knew it was possible on paper but had always dismissed the notion. Without loosening ones tenketsu, the idea was laughable. Nobody had that kind of pain threshold.

Then Ino Yamanaka's surgery plan had flipped things on its head by eliminating that factor.

Chakra monsters were not exactly unheard off. Even if you ignored the obvious few, like jinchuuriki, there were plenty examples in the shinobi world.

The Sannin, Hanzo the Salamander, descendants of the Uzumaki, almost every Kage of a major nation, or not. Even his sister could hold a title there among the ranks. It was not normal to be able to level miles of forestry on a whim the way the Suna princess can. They were those who easily could be considered S class nin, or S class potential.

So Kankuro knew people like Ayaka existed but he also knew how to fight them. How could he not, growing up with siblings like his? He would take advantage of the lack of control that came with their Chakra reserves. At least that was what he would do normally.

Nobody else he knew could use Chakra the way she did. It was too volatile, uncontrollable and would surely get her or her comrades killed.

But then the most amazing thing happened. Like any creature in the desert, spider survived, improvised and adapted.

The uncontrolled blasts of Katon jutsu became tamed as she adjusted her taijutsu style to move with the flames. She was dancing, and every pivoted elbow, every raised leg and every spin controlling the inferno of flames she had created. It was terrifying to get close to her, one didn't know where exactly flames would escape as her spoke no words and formed no jutsu.

It was only when an uncontrolled blast of Katon jutsu flared from the very soles of her feet on accident that he gained the upper hand. The flames launched her in the air, a good 2 meters, and Kankuro was able to wrap 10 Chakra strings around her body and slam her hard into the ground. Luckily the sand was more forgiving then concrete or stone flooring may have been.

Sure, she could probably fight still, yet he knew her back would be heavily bruised after the force he'd used. It was best to end the almost spar now, dare he risk his brother's, who was without doubt spying, ire. Gaara really ought to be keeping an eye on the other Subaku and her Nara anyway. Shikamaru was not engaged after all and Kankuro could only imagine what Temari would instigate or the repercussions that may follow.

He would get to try his hand at battle with Ayaka soon he hoped. After tonight, it would be demanded of him. For Suna's honor at least. He was sure Ayaka had gauged herself his target too, despite the feigned obliviousness.

Diplomacy his ass, it was probably a set up from the beginning. It was no illusion that the relationship with the Sand and Leaf was shaken by the failed invasion in paper.

It was common knowledge that none of the Subaku siblings had yet to wed given how unappealing their options were in Suna. There were few clans among Shinobi royalty and it was difficult to appease any of them with the civilian royalty from the capital. Even he could tell Temari wouldn't have bothered to hide her Chakra during her recreational activities tonight. It was a bold statement for the Suna princess and one the Suna council would not take kindly to. It was one that Shikamaru's superior would definitely have to answer to. He could only assume the Hokage knew of this. It was apparent, that Shikamaru Nara either wanted Temari so much he was willing to risk a duel by proxy to settle his fate in exchange for his position as heir.

Or Shikamaru Nara did not want to be an heir so much he was willing to marry into foreign royalty to evade it. Either way, Spider would by battle right decide the outcome. True, there were other Leaf Jonin here that Shikamaru could opt to use as proxy but Ayaka was of his clan and rumored a viable candidate as Nara heiress. The Nara clan would have little choice but to honor the outcome of battle in such a situation. Sure, there was wiggle room in terms of paperwork and contracts but as long as there was paper work they should be happy.

Hadn't the current Nara head eloped? Sans any contract drawn up? It was the stuff of horrors for any clan.

If course there was always the risk that if Spider lost Temari would elope to the Leaf anyway, paperwork and pretty contracts be damned. Shikamaru may have to remain an heir to be able to have any form of diplomatic immunity for stealing Temari's hand in that instance much like how the only reason the current Nara head hadn't been stripped of his title, for his own elopement. The Nara council he imagined, would practically own Shikamaru's and Temari's life's thereafter. Which would no doubt cause problems for Spider and Temari in terms of reputation as the former would have to yield or allow the couple, taking full responsibility for the political fall out.

Kankuro was sure such a situation wouldn't result in a war, but compensation would certainly be demanded. Not by Gaara, but by the elder council themselves.

Either way, he was fucked over if he fought Spider like he wanted to. Both outcomes, he realized were to his detriment. If he won, Temari would elope eventually and he would be clan head of the Subaku and forced to marry. Sure, he could possibly get out of marriage if Gaara agreed to have a child but as it stood, that was unlikely. If he lost, Shikamaru and Temari would likely be betrothed and probably have him brokering one of the most controversial marriage contracts that would surely rock the alliance between Sand and Leaf.

He could only imagine what Gaara was going to do about all of this. Temari was terrifying and could hold her own. Yet, Gaara was something else entirely. The elders were closing in on the three of them and one thing was certain, if they wanted to come out on top of the elders, something needed to happen fast.

He could only hope that Shikamaru knew what he was signing up for. His lack of merits wouldn't even allow him to represent himself in his own affairs. All was left to Spider.

Then again, Shikamaru was a better strategist then even his sister. He had a feeling that perhaps the duo had put their heads together this time. The very thought made him shiver, as he helped Ayaka to her feet.

The two of them plotting together? The Leaf and Sand's strategic geniuses on the same team?

They'd have all of Suna on a platter in a fortnight if that was their target.

* * *

 **SAI**

Sai had thought a lot about how he was going to infiltrate Suna and get close to the Nara heir. He'd considered traveling in as a tourist or a mere shinobi passing through for a mission - he could forge the necessary documentation in a heartbeat.

However the last thing he had considered was being caught, by the Kazekage's apprentice of all people. Matsuri, as the other shinobi had called her, found him loitering around the outskirts of Suna fumbling with his scrolls and ink mid forgery and thought him suspicious. The girl had signaled a nearby squad and they had ambushed him.

The result of his instinctive defense had ink flying everywhere as he assured the squad he meant no harm. He was surprised to identify both the feelings of frustration and relief to see the ink had gotten everywhere. Surely it destroyed most of the information on his missive from Fu and his forgery.

What he hadn't anticipated was being tossed into the interrogation room, as sand nin searched for one of the Subaku's to question him.

From what he gathered from the idle communicated through sign language they thought he didn't know (Hawk had him fluent in Konoha's, the Sand's and the Grass's specialized code) , all three Sand royals were otherwise occupied.

He gathered that the Kazekage was too occupied to handle a mere interrogation. His right hand or brother, had vanished with a guest, and that the desert princess was being, for lack of a better understanding was having a promiscuous liaison with a star-crossed lover. It was a tad over the top a tale which raised even his eyebrows, but then again most things did sound shocking to him. Who in Suna could he of limits to a princess? Temari no Subaku was unattached as far as his information had confirmed. It seemed the Subaku family was holding out for a love match for its head.

Still, despite the obvious reluctance to summon anyone, Sai eventually found himself sitting face to face with the desert princess.

Her hair was a shade too dark of gold and her ponytails far too many for his liking. Her teal eyes, which he knew were quite striking, just felt not blue enough. For an aesthetically pleasing being, Sai found himself less then enticed by a woman he'd heard was Suna's most beautiful royal. Ino, he finds himself thinking, is far more exquisite a feast for the eye.

Temari is a ragged beauty. Her stature and presence although regal, hints at danger. There's a sultry undertone to the way she drapes herself across the seat before him. She carries herself like the predator Sai is quite certain she is.

Ino's a refined beauty. She demands attention with the poise and caliber of a woman born to lead. Ino would not be caught dead with poor posture while bearing down on invitingly at her victim. Ino's the kind of flower you wouldn't know was poisonous until it was far too late.

Sai should've kept silent and had them draw their own conclusions on his presence, as was Roots protocol.

However one thing catches Sai's trained eye. His soon to be interrogator is not quite dressed like a princess. Her hairs been done hastily and she's wearing tights under a long shirt. However the symbol on the shirt was certainly one no Suna ninja had any business wearing.

Was the emblem on the shirt Temari no Subaku was bearing the really Nara clans symbol?

Even more worrisome...of the two Nara's in the sand, only one wore the clan emblem. In fact only one Nara here wore shirts.

Could the star-crossed lover of Temari be Shikamaru Nara?

So not only would Sai have to get by Spiders elite guard squad, but his mark would have the full attention of the Suna princess on him too?

He was going to get himself killed at this rate. Which wouldn't do, he was only halfway through his painting of his muse and not yet done with the book for Shin!

Temari taps her nails on the table bringing him back to reality They're short and neat, unlike Ino's claws. The princess is handed his ink stained scrolls, he hopes are censored enough to grant him credibility. Sai eyes her defiantly, his tired mind still trying to compute her outfit.

 _Shikamaru Nara was one hell of a troublesome target._

* * *

 **DEIDERA**

"So, Hidan and Kakuzu are hanging out catching bounties near the lighting border yeah and we're headed to you home town and the other two are stuck at the other base on standby, un?

Deidera should be comfortable. It's the plan that he and Konan have slaved over after all. Every precaution has been taken. He'd even convinced Sasori to use Hiroku's body as a precaution. It hadn't taken much convincing actually. Sasori did favor that particular puppet.

Sasori grunts grumpily in reply, unhappy about their late start to Suna, courtesy of his late night rendezvous with Itachi. Or perhaps he's unhappy to return to his home village. Deidera shares the sentiment if it's the latter because the former was _quite worth it_.

The desert has a certain call to Sasori that Deidera cannot begin to understand. He sees it in the other artist's movements and stature. The closer to home Sasori gets, the less reserved he becomes.

Deidera has no such illusions that Sasori had lived a longer life than he ever will and perhaps is more sentimental to his home.

Yet, being back in Iwa would kill him. Often he wondered about Kurotsuchi but dismissed the thought. The girl he grew up with was likely thriving now that he was removed as a candidate for Kage succession. Onoki really ought to kick himself for ever considering Deidera over the other Kekkei genkai user. Of course, Onoki would never have considered yielding his position to a mere woman, even if she was also an S-class candidate, if his hand wasn't forced. He's slightly happy he's had a contributed to that.

Still, while Deidera treks to Suna, because Sasori won't let them fly yet, he keeps himself on high alert. It's the place that's raised Sasori after all and he will not be complacent. Not that any of them would ever be, thanks to _Ayaka._ She was another pleasant little target, they'd had no word off. Deidera been keeping an eye out for the little fiend ever since the day she'd actually nicked Itachi.

How dare the traitorous little bitch even think of laying a mark on his prey? Itachi was his to drag down to hell, and his alone.

The Kumo swords woman, if that was even her village at this point, had made it painfully obvious that there were other predators in the game. Predators that ought not to be underestimated.

So he notices the crow following them and hides his groan as he contemplates the paradox that is Itachi Uchiha. Sasori hasn't said a word but he's certain the man's seen the crow too. They aren't exactly common in The land of Wind and Deidera will not possibly live this down should be survive the ichibi.

Kami help him, he really did need to get around to killing the Uchiha one of these days. He hasn't been quite this mortified since learning Hidan wasn't gay or getting the infamous 'bees and the bees' speech from Kakuzu. Even that time Kisame walked in on him and Itachi wasn't comparable to the embarrassment being babysat by a crow!

Clearly, being a S-class ninja did nothing to help one's street cred these days.

He didn't care how dangerous a target the Kazekage was. He just needed a little respect these days. Uchiha's offered little it seemed. One way or the other, Itachi would learn to acknowledge him and the sheer artistry of his kills.

Deidera just knew he would break Itachi one day, the question was not how but when because in his heart, he knew exactly how to ruin the raven haired ninja. Itachi should know better then to dare underestimate him. Deidera would prove it.

 _Else he sure as hell would be targeting more than just a kage to illustrate his point. There was another baby Uchiha running around out there after all. Or maybe he'd target Ayaka. Itachi always got quite riled up over her but then again, who didn't?_


	51. The measure of a monster

**[AN: Hi guys its been a while since my last update. Enjoy this chapter, I'll hopefully be updating more frequently these days. I've just bought a new laptop and I have handed in my masters proposal. Stay safe out there, and remember to review!]**

* * *

 **SHIKAMARU**

The last thing he'd anticipated after being startled awake by Ayaka tossing him a shirt- how in Kami's name had he not sensed her?- and then being dragged by said brunette of to Suna's T&I department, along with Kankuro, Genma and Ko. Kotetsu and Izumo were nowhere to be found, although Genma assured him they'd been given permission to train and then sent on errands, within the parameters of the mission. Both he and Ayaka shot the senbon chewer a puzzled look at that but the bodyguard opted to remain mute about whatever he had the bukijutsu specialists doing. Whatever it was, he was glad Temari had vacated his room. Although he did intend to make his relationship and intentions known, he was fairly certain having himself discovered bedding the blonde was not the way to make a bid for her hand in a manner that would appease his rather troublesome cousin nor her equally terrifying brothers.

From then on, Kankuro dominated the conversation with clinical professionalism that Shikamaru was shocked by. Who knew the puppeteer could be so professional?

Apparently, Suna had picked up a Leaf shinobi, one that Temari didn't seem to have recognized when she'd been summoned. Shikamaru blanched at that and could only hope Temari had left his chambers before that. Kankuro briefed them about the circumstances, including the fact the the interrogation had unfortunately gone down the route of torture as the interrogator had felt the shinobi evasive during questioning. There were few things in the shinobi world that Shikamaru felt strongly against. As a shinobi himself, he understood the need for interrogation as well as torture. However after what had happened to Ayaka, how could he ever feel comfortable at the notion of an ally or peer being under torture? Clearly it wasn't a notion he found himself sharing with many, Ayaka herself and his parents too had apparently no qualms with the practice. As it was, he found himself completely unable to hold his tongue anymore.

"Why is a suspected Leaf shinobi being questioned without one of us being informed? _Who allowed this?_ "

There's surprising grit in his voice and Kankuro's face contorts for a painful second as if the puppeteer is suddenly aware both Nara's are officially here as diplomats, willing to pay a hefty sum to Suna for a much needed A - rank. Shikamaru's never done this before - using his clan heir status to bully his opinion into relevance and he fears he's overstepped based on Kankuro's gaze. Still, to question an allies shinobi? Suna had at the very least needed to request permission from the Leaf village itself or a representative. He knows he's right on paper but he also knows fighting technicalities are not what they were here to do as diplomats. Ko looks disapproving and Genma's expression yields no sympathy to neither he nor Kankuro for the somber mood.

Its Ayaka that spares them both with a light laugh and a charming reassurance, all sprinkled with the subtle manipulation of a kunoichi that knew how to kill two birds with one stone.

"Temari san was present, yes? The Leaf and the _Nara clan_ has absolute trust in her decision," Ayaka preens at her statement and Shikamaru is quick to ease despite Kankuro's apparent unease. Trust Ayaka to find a way to imply that the lack of offense from themselves as diplomats would keep Suna from being thrown into a political mess should the poor soul actually be a Leaf. Its a fact that will come in handy, if he wants to achieve what he's here to do.

He's almost reassured the situation will be fine when the interrogation room came into view. The two way glass, revealed a strangely familiar pale black haired shinobi and Temari no Subaku, who'd clearly been the interviewer on the one side. The blonde was clearly unaware of the audience as she toyed with her prisoner. The Kazekage himself had been waiting for their party before entering the room, expressionless as his sea foam eyes narrowed at him.

Shikamaru had a lot of things going through his mind at once. While there were several things that required his immediate concern, a few stood out for him as particularly alarming.

 _Was that not the shinobi he'd spied Ino with on a few occasions, including Kiba's engagement party?_

 _What was his ex's boy toy doing in Suna?_

 _Had Temari seriously tortured a Leaf nin?_

 _Worse, tortured who he suspected was Ino's lover?_

 _KAMI WAS THAT HIS SHIRT?_

 _Holy shit, the Kazekage would kill him._

 _Or Kankuro._

 _Or Ino._

 _Maybe Ayaka?_

* * *

 **TSUNADE**

There were things that Tsunade had never anticipated doing in her life. One of those things was trying to pry information about her daughter from Tsume. Another was having a daughter in the first place, but that was a whole other discussion. One best left for another life, where both Maru and her weren't ethically under obligation to kill each other.

It had been a complicated few days, with Yamato and Ino both searching for Sai underneath Danzo'z gaze, the shocking magnitude of candidates that were selected for the Jonin exam, Naruto's presence in the village, Jiraiya's long overdue heartbreak, shipping the Nara kids off to Suna would one of the most stacked body guard squads ever imagined, persuading Kurenai to schedule a hospital checkup she'd been evading, the Nara clan's politics, the frustration of the T&I department, the Hyuuga wedding planning, and of course contemplating whether or not her daughter should take on the Senju name to spare her and Kiba imminent debt without a dowry.

However, she didn't really know her daughter well enough to even begin trying to offer her the benefit of a clan name.

Once Tsunade actually gave in and swallowed her pride to offer apologies for the misunderstanding regarding her daughters bruising, it became apparent that Tsume knew Shiho quite well.

Tsume explained that Hana had doted on the girls, both Ayaka and Shiho in their unusual team. The Inuzuka compound was where the trio would meet to cook supper together and gossip. Tsume wove tales of all three girls and the signs everyone missed. Hana's obsession with Training her team mates away from their jonin sensei had struck Tsume as odd. Ayaka's tenacity catching the eye of many a clan as she proved to be a combat specialist of merit. Shiho, despite being a fairly natural trap specialist was quick to receive unusual incentives towards remaining a genin, and opting for the paper ninja route in cryptology and how Shiho's 'kaa san' pushed her towards a less violent career. Shiho had obviously been promoted despite it all, in field on that mission that was causing quite the sensation in the cryptology department now that Hana had finally turned in the report of what actually happened and why.

Tsunade didn't pry for details from the Inuzuka matriarch in that regard, she had read Hana's report after all. There was no need to overturn the agreement between the Hyuuga and Inuzuka about Kanato's death. As far as she was concerned, the former Hyuuga medic deserved getting ripped apart by the Inuzuka heiress, especially since said heiress heavily implied he tried to sell of his Genin team in exchange for safe passage back to the Leaf. It was a bargain that could have been struck after all, 3 young girls were probably an attractive offer to the Kiri scum.

Hana had been vague on how they'd escaped and what she and the others had to do to get to safety under her leadership. Tsunade wouldn't pry yet, but that didn't mean she wasn't cautious. Hana Inuzuka probably needed therapy but that was more of a Yamanaka field of expertise than her own.

Nothing about this team made sense unless Hiruzen had suspicions about Kanato's lecherous ways and had deliberately given him this team to tempt him into revealing himself.

Hana was Tsume Inuzuka's daughter and in theory the clan's heiress.

Ayaka was a ward of Shikaku Nara's and had at that time been Shikamaru's theoretical bride choice.

Shiho, while it was unlikely Kanato would know it was a child of two thirds of the sannin and was by all accounts one of Hiruzen Sarutobi's favorites.

Kanato Hyuuga should have known he wouldn't survive touching them. If Hana hadn't taken matters into her own hands, Hiashi would've thrown the man to the other clans or Hokage himself if he'd even heard a whisper that he's laid hands on the girls. It didn't make sense

"I just don't understand how Hiruzen allowed this team!" Tsunade's frustration leaked into her voice as she gripped her Sake cup. Across her, Tsume was uncharacteristically cool as if contemplating her next words. Tsunade nodded discreetly, indicating the woman free to speak her mind, clearly by the look on her face Tsume had quite a bit she wanted to say.

"Sarutobi knew what that man was. Apparently Hiashi had to sort out the mess that was his son. Kid's about Hana's age and wouldn't say a word about his dad so everyone's hands were tied unless we had a Yamanaka do a number on the kids head. Idea probably was to set up the bastard with a team he couldn't or wouldn't lay hands on since the elders felt it was about damn time Kanato had genin, so the apprenticed him first. Honestly, I didn't think they'd pick Hana but I also assumed Hana would be able to rip the bastard a new one if he tried or at least call me. Things were still rumors at the time so when nothing came of it, i relaxed and assumed it wasn't true. When she got her team mates, Kami, Hana was more protective of them then the triplets. I don't pretend to know what happened, but I damn well know my daughter was protecting either the girls or her ninken. Sarutobi misjudged the situation and Hana was the victim of it. I hate Hiruzen for allowing it, Hiashi for not gutting that bastard after the inquiry into that little boy, and myself because I damn well know Kanato only got the other two girls on that team because I was so fucking convinced _my daughter was fine."_

The tirade was a long one and when the matriarch was done, Tsunade had the good sense to shove the Sake bottle at her pretending to not notice the tears that threatened to fall from the other woman's usually feral eyes.

"Its not on you. Its Hiruzen. The elders too. Kami, no wonder Orochimaru tried to invade this damn village. He - Orochimaru- didn't care for much but his -our- kid was a different story. He would've - he did - kill him for putting her on that team." The irony of the statement didn't escape her. For all his atrocities, and questionable morality, Orochimaru was more a parent she had ever been.

"Who'd have guessed the snake had such a sentimental heart?" Tsume chuckled softly as they both brooded. Tsunade nodded her agreement, reaching for another Sake bottle.

Her meeting with Tsume should've ended a while ago. However, the woman didn't seem quite ready to leave yet and Tsunade? Well, there was more Sake at her office then Shizune's apartment anyway.

* * *

 **YUGITO**

She can hear the sounds of Atsui and Samui arguing outside as she eyes the intruder in her apartment. Sure, she is about 20 minutes late for meeting the Kage, but its not as though she's really needed. Since that mission, A's been furiously keeping both Kumo jinchuuriki in his sight. As a result both the shinobi careers of herself and B have suffered in result. Yugito can't help but be resentful that every time she takes up a mission its village guard duty or paperwork.

Darui's intrusion into her quarters is alarming, considering she surely wouldn't be reprimanded for being late. His apology reaches her ears as she gazes at the man, she grudgingly admits is attractive, with narrowed eyes.

Darui was a fairly tall, dark-skinned man with the kind of laid back personality Yugito was both jealous of and frustrated by. His black eyes that usually look bored beneath his shaggy, white hair which occasionally covers his eye. As usual he looks apologetic and she wonders how long it is until he finds a way to give her another back handed insult through a badly phrased apology again. He wears a high-collared, sleeveless uniform with loose fitting pants, bandages on his wrists and the one-strap-over-one-shoulder flak jacket of a Kumogakure shinobi. Darui also has the characters for _water_ and _lightning_ tattooed on his right and left shoulders respectively which Yugito envies because she's never been daring enough to get inked. The tattoo on his left arm also the subtle bragging right that he has inherited the Third Raikage's black lightning and with it the favor of their kage. Darui has his carries a broad, folded, cleaver-like sword, strapped to his back and Yugito knows something is up. Darui never carries that sword unless he leaves the village. However shes due to take a mission with him today, and she's not allowed a step outside the village.

What were Samui and Atsui doing here as well?

Darui, Atsui and Samui had been the Raikage's genin squad. They were a ridiculously over stacked team. Darui and Samui were Jonin already. Atsui was Chuunin only on the technicality he, like her hadn't run enough missions outside Kumo to qualify for the exam.

The three of them didn't often run missions together for a reason. Inside Kumo, it was not necessary. Outside Kumo, they were a threat.

If potential were the measure of monsters, the Raikage's team were more than mere beasts. So where exactly were they off to that required the presence of a jinchuuriki as well?

Yugito's eyes narrowed at the shinobi in front of her, silently demanding an explanation.

* * *

 **IZUMO**

"Shopping! Of all the things Genma could do to torture me, he picked shopping?! Kami, Izumo, I'm gay but I'm not that gay!"

Izumo rolled his eyes at his boyfriends antics. Kotetsu sure as hell complained a lot for a guy that was neck deep in selecting outfits for the 'delegates'. Considering they'd be here for at least two weeks the pile had grown substantially. Hopefully Ayaka would appreciate the Kimono's, which were far more luxurious then the ones she'd normally wear. It was an olive branch and a obscenely expensive one at that.

Although perhaps the appeal was that Izumo would now be joining Ayaka and Shikamaru as a Leaf representative. The kazekage had suggested it himself as a way to keep an eye on the Nara's. Kotetsu had objected significantly less about the errand then, knowing full well he did like to shop for Izumo, just not for others. These outfits would off course add to the disguise of the Nara's and his role in that was admittedly small but a new outfit was a new outfit at the end of the day.

While Kankuro was convinced going full out and changing Ayaka's and Shikamaru's coloring was the answer, nobody else shared the opinion. Shikamaru was well known in Suna, having defeated Temari in his chuunin exams and being a proctor during the last one. Changing his appearance would only add suspicion, so what they had to do was make the Nara pair seem like too difficult a target. Suna had always seen Shikamaru as a shinobi, so now they'd get to greet him as a Nara heir. Familiar with how laid back the Nara's were, Ko Hyuuga had suggested the pair channel his own clan's fondness for being obnoxious and extra.

Hence Izumo was now looking for garments suitable for the shinobi who'd likely be referred to as Nara Ouji and Nara Hime. Unfortunately no shinobi royalty would ever travel without an advisor, hence he was looking for an ostentatious outfit too.

Who would've guessed he'd ever be assisting on a diplomacy mission? Although honestly, between Ko, Genma and Kotetsu he was the only one able to pull of both politics and not seeming like he was completely bored. He was actually interested in the talks too, so it was a win-win for him.

Spying a rather nice tunic, he was really grateful that he wasn't the one that would be explaining this bill to the Hokage. That unfortunate soul would be Genma, so at least his boyfriend might get some vengeance for the errand once Tsunade saw the mission costs. Ayaka, Shikaku or Neji would likely cover the bill of course. However, Genma didn't exactly need to know that just yet.


End file.
